


kingdom of isolation

by Wikluk



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Bonding, Force-Sensitive Satine Kryze, Frozen (Disney Movies) References, Hurt/Comfort, Jedi Culture & Tradition, Mandalorian Culture, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Multi, Pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Slow Burn, accidental force bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:00:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29297025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wikluk/pseuds/Wikluk
Summary: Satine Kryze was unique from birth, but her family hid her abilities because her gift was also the greatest curse.When, in the face of a tragedy, Satine becomes the Duchess of the entire system, and loneliness and fear cannot be suppressed any more, secrets are revealed, feelings are hurt, the Duchess disappears and a struggle begins to find her before someone hurts her. Or she hurts someone.(or: some people don't believe in love at first sight. But what about a bond at the first eye contact?)
Relationships: Bo-Katan Kryze & Fenn Rau, Bo-Katan Kryze & Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze/Pre Viszla, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	1. when we were young

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome... again! 
> 
> This time I come to you with a slightly different story. Derived from Disney's Frozen and kind of my own version of Year on The Run.
> 
> I am very excited to share this work with you. For all Obitine fans, however, I have a warning: this REALLY is a slowburn. The first few chapters focus on the introduction to history and family relationships rather than the actual action and relationship between Obi-Wan and Satine. They meet later.
> 
> For mine and your comfort, I use BBY calendar dates.

> **_50 BBY, Kalevela_ **

In the room plunged into darkness, the silence was broken by the rustle of velvet sheets. After a moment there was the sound of footsteps of little feet, gently placed across the fluffy rug and then across the marble floor. The owner of the tiny feet stopped by one of the two beds too big for the people sleeping in them and stood on tiptoe, then leaned over to the figure in front of her.

“Psst. Tine?” she asked in a whisper, covering her mouth with her hand as if afraid someone else would hear her. “Psst, Tine, are you sleeping?”

“No,” the blonde-haired girl, Tine, turned to the voice and raised her head from the pillow, looking at the other girl with interest. “You can't sleep, Bo?”

“Yes, the moon's awake, so I'm awake,” the redheaded girl, Bo, confirmed, looking at the blonde with wide green eyes. “Can I lie down next to you?”

“Of course.”

Tine sat down on the mattress, threw back the covers, and gave Bo a hand, helping her climb onto the fairly high bed. The girls sat down next to each other and leaned on a huge pillow, then the blonde-haired girl covered them both with the duvet and gave the redhead a hand. Bo took the offered hand, intertwined their fingers and looked at her older sister with a smile.

Suddenly there was a rumble and Tine wrinkled her nose quickly, suppressing a giggle. Bo didn’t have such self-control, and after a while, she started giggling. “Bo! _K’uur_!” the blonde covered her younger sister's mouth with her hand, barely holding back a laugh. “They'll hear us!”

Bo was immediately silent, and for a moment there was silence between them. They both looked at the door expectantly, and after a while Bo noticed her sister exhaling her breath loudly and looking at her with amusement in her eyes.

“Have they gone?”

“Yes,” Tine looked at the door again and closed her eyes for a moment. Her young face assumed an expression of intense thought, but after a while the girl opened her eyes and looked at Bo again. “Two. Mel'Ek and Pram. They went towards the Throne Room.”

“Tine,” Bo said after a short moment. “Can we go to the kitchen?” she rested her chin on her older sister's shoulder, looking at her pleadingly. “I'm hungry.”

“I heard that,” Tine smiled at her and tossed the covers off their lap. She jumped off her bed and helped her sister down. “Put your shoes on, the floor is cold.”

Bo ran to her bed and quickly put the shoes on her feet. When she looked up, her sister was already standing by the door, looking at her expectantly. As Bo approached her, Tine closed her eyes.

“There's no one here, we can go,” she said after a moment and waved her small hand slightly, and the door swung open with a soft hum. Tine looked from side to side and stepped out into the hallway, stretching her hand towards her little sister. “Give me your hand.”

With another wave of her hand, the door closed behind them as softly as it opened. The two girls turned right and without saying a word, hand in hand, began walking down the corridor. The way to the palace kitchens was lit by dim lamps adapted to the time of the night that adorned the high ceiling.

“Tine,” Bo spoke softly, squeezing her sister's hand tighter. “Why were you awake?”

“I was waiting for you to fall asleep,” Tine looked at Bo with a smile. “I'm always waiting.”

“Why?”

“Because I can't sleep if you are awake.”

“Why?”

“I do not know,” Tine shrugged, looking straight ahead. “I am calmer when you sleep and it is easier for me to fall asleep then.”

“Tine,” Bo looked at her excitedly. “What if you're a Dream Keeper?”

“Who?”

“ _Buir_ told us about the Dream Keepers once!” Bo said softly, looking at Tine with a seriousness not matching her childish features. “They are creatures that guard the dreams of _verde_ tired of fighting!”

“But you're not a warrior, Bo,” Tine looked at her with an expression typical for an older sister. “You are my little _vod!_ ”

“I'm not little!”

“ _K'uur_!” Tine covered Bo's mouth with her hand and stopped her in place. “Someone may hear you!”

“I'm not little,” Bo repeated, releasing her sister's hand and crossing her arms in front of her. “I am 5 years old!”

“And I am almost 7 years old, I am older and when I say that you are little, you are little, _vod_!”

“No!”

“Yes!” and before Bo started to protest, Tine took her hand and started leading her towards the kitchen again. “We're almost there.”

In less than a minute, the two girls were standing in front of the door to the palace kitchen. Tine swung the door open with her hand and they both stepped inside. The blonde raised her hand, frowning in intense concentration, and after a while, the kitchen was lit by wall lamps.

“Wow!” Bo was looking at her with green, excited eyes, the way she always did when she saw her sister doing something other people they knew couldn't. “I want to do magic too!”

“I'll teach you!”

Tine looked around the kitchen until her eyes were drawn to a fruit basket on one of the countertops. The girl smiled broadly and pointed at her find.

“Look at that pear, close your eyes and focus,” Bo closed her eyes, frowned, and pursed her lips. “Good. And now you must really want this fruit to come to you.”

Bo nodded slightly and pressed her lips together even tighter. Her small hands balled into fists, and after a while, her whole face began to turn red with the effort. After a few seconds, Bo suddenly opened her eyes and took a deep breath, staring expectantly ahead. The fruit, however, lay where it had been before, and did not twitch an inch.

“But I focused!”

“You were impatient!” Tine gave her a scolding look. “Try again, Bo.”

So Bo closed her eyes again. Her face reddened again from the exertion and holding her breath, but the pear was still in the basket. Tine raised her hand to move the fruit, but at the same moment, the red-haired girl opened her eyes and stamped her foot, exhaling her nose irritably.

“I cannot,” she said angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. “You're special, Tine,” her soft voice suddenly became full of sadness. “I'm ordinary.”

“Don't say that, Bo,” Tine grabbed Bo's shoulders and hugged her tightly. “You will always be special to me.”

Bo snuggled into her tightly and clasped her small hands on her older sister's nightgown, tucking her head under her chin.

“I love you, Satine.”

“I love you too, Bo-Katan.”

And then Bo's stomach spoke again, breaking the silence with a loud rumble.

Bo giggled and the sound was so contagious that after a while both girls were laughing together.

Eventually, Tine broke away from her sister and gave her a happy smile. Her cool blue eyes sparkled typical of a child who had just had an idea.

“Bo, what would you like to eat?”

“Cake!”

“Cake at this hour?”

“Please, Tine!” Bo looked at her with big, pleading eyes. “Please, please, please…”

“Alright,” Tine sighed and winked at her sister. “Just don't say anything to Buir.”

“I promise!”

The two girls went to a large refrigerated cupboard where sweets were kept. They put their hands on the glass and began to carefully examine the contents of the case.

“Bo!” Tine pointed at the back of the cupboard. “There is our favourite!”

“Chocolate and yogan fruit cake?”

Tine nodded and exchanged an intense look with Bo. Sometimes the sisters were able to communicate without words, but to what extent it was the result of their close relationship or because how strange the skills of the older sister were, no one knew.

After a while, Tine bit her lips and, focusing on her target, lifted the glass lid of the display case and levitated a plate of dessert from the back of it. The plate landed with a soft clink on the counter.

“Wait, I'll get some spoons.”

Tine went to the cutlery drawer and took out two spoons perfect for eating a fluffy, chocolate-fruit cake. She returned to the counter where her sister was standing and clicked on the button that brought the chairs out from under it. The older girl helped the younger one to climb onto the seat and after a while they both sat next to each other, enthusiastically devouring their favourite dessert.

And even such a simple act clearly showed how different the sisters were. Tine was always clean and mannered, so she ate the cake with a grace worthy of Queen of the Naboo. Bo, on the other hand, was more chaotic - she ate the cake quickly and sloppy, so her face was smeared with chocolate.

“Oh, Bo.” Tine sighed, looking at her sister disapprovingly. “You eat like little _ik’add_.”

“Come on?” the red-haired girl shrugged, putting another spoonful of cake in her mouth. “I told you I'm hungry.”

“Don't speak with your mouth full!”

“Nobody sees us!”

“But it's a bad habit!”

“Uh...” Bo rolled her eyes. “You sound just like Mom.”

“And you act like _ba'vodu_ Varus.”

Bo, in response, sent her a smile full of milk teeth, radiating such great joy as if she had just been given the greatest compliment. Tine rolled her eyes, a gesture both sisters inherited from their mother, but smiled in the process.

She then jumped off the seat, picked up the empty plate and set it in the dishwashing machine. She took a fresh towel from the cupboard and tossed it to her sister.

“Wipe yourself, Bo,” she said, adjusting the headband that adorned her hair because a few strands of hair got in her face. “Only do it right, because Kendra found Meiloorun fruit juice stains on your pyjamas last time.”

“Oh, it was delicious!” Bo jumped off her chair and started pacing the kitchen, looking at the packages of various drinks stacked on the hanging cabinets. “Tine!”

“Yes?”

“I'm thirsty,” Bo stopped in front of one of the cupboards and pointed up with her small hand. “Will you get this juice for me?”

“Sure!”

Tine closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and stretched both hands forward, frowning in an expression of intense concentration. Levitating large objects was more difficult than carrying a saucer or a doll, but with great effort, the older sister could succeed.

The box was already halfway from the cupboard to the counter when suddenly Tine felt something strange. A certain unease, a disturbance of harmony she had felt so far. She recognized it immediately-someone was approaching the kitchen. And not just anybody, but their mother. Tine suddenly opened her eyes and lowered her hands.

“Bo–”

At that moment, there was a screech and something heavy fell to the floor with a crash. Tine let out a terrified scream and after a few seconds the kitchen door opened and a tall, red-haired woman with eyes as blue as her older daughter’s stood in it.

The woman was nobody else than Rivett Kryze, of Clan Beroya.

“ _Wayii_!” she exclaimed, taking a careful look at the room. “Why are you awake, Satine?” Rivett started walking towards her daughter, looking at her searchingly. “Why were you screaming?”

“I-I didn't mean to!” tears was running down Tine’s cheeks, her usually pale face now as white as a sheet. “ _Buir_ , I didn't want–”

“What you didn't want–,” the woman broke off in mid-sentence, noticing the motionless figure of her younger daughter on the floor. “Bo-Katan!” Rivett fell to her knees next to the petite red-haired girl and pushed her hair from her face. “Satine, what happened?”

“I didn't mean to!” she exclaimed again, her voice heavy with tears. “Bo wanted a drink, so I started levitating that box, but then I felt that you were coming and I was scared that we were going to be in trouble and– Bo!”

“Do not cry, _ad’ika_ ,” Rivett silenced her daughter in a soft voice, even though Tine could sense her mother’s nervousness and fear. “Bo-Katan is unconscious. The medical droid must see her, but it'll be fine!”

Rivett held up the hand she wore a bracelet on and said a few commands, and after a moment the deep voice of Adonai Kryze echoed through her comlink.

“Rivett?”

“Come to the kitchen immediately with the medical droid,” she said quickly, not letting her husband interrupt her. “Our daughters had a little accident and now Bo-Katan is unconscious.”

“And Satine?”

“Satine is with me,” Rivett turned her head to look at her daughter, but there was no one behind her. “ _Haar’chak_! Adonai, she run away!”

“I'll have the guards look for her,” There was a moment of silence, but Adonai did not break the connection. When he spoke again, his voice was tense. “ _Cyar'ika,_ you know what that means, don't you?”

“I know, Adonai,” Rivett sighed, stroking her unconscious daughter's cheek with her hand. “I wish we had contacted _jetiise_ earlier.”

“We made a choice then,” there was a short silence. “Now the choice was made for us.”

**x x x x x**

Satine ran down the long corridor, never once looking back. She pushed ahead blindly, as tears welling up in her eyes blurred her image.

She was just running to where the two corridors intersected when she heard someone's loud footsteps, and after a while that someone spoke in a young if gruff, voice.

“Lady Satine!” a moment of silence and then man growled in a slightly quieter voice to his commlink. “Found her. She's running towards the hangars!”

Satine made her decision quickly. She turned into the corridor on the right, knocking over flower pots and numerous ornaments, - often remembering the times of Mandalore’s sons and daughters who lived centuries before her - decorating the corridors, with movements of her hands.

After a few moments, the guard chasing her ran out from around the corner. So focused on the young daughter of the Princes' Couple, he didn't notice the objects scattered on the floor. As a result of his oversight, after a few seconds, he landed with a crash on the floor.

“ _Haar'chaak_!” he growled, getting up from the floor. “Lady Satine!”

The girl gave him one quick glance over her shoulder and began to run even faster. She turned into another corridor that she recognized immediately. She ran to the huge door and flicked it open. She crossed them without thinking twice and closed them just as quickly behind her.

She was in the Palace Gardens.

One of her favorite places.

A place where she loved to play with Bo–

“Lady Satine!”

Satine ran behind the thick flower tree and pressed herself against the trunk, closing her eyes and focusing hard. She felt someone's presence on the other side of the door. The guard who was chasing her stopped at the entrance to the garden. Satine felt his nervousness, irritation and confusion. He stood still for a few seconds, then finally continued down the hall, leaving the garden alone.

Satine sighed and looked around the garden. The Kalevala, which devastation of civil wars did not affect as much as Mandalore, could still delight with its natural beauty and riches of nature, although much smaller than centuries ago.

The gardens of the Kalevala Palace were beautiful. Over the years, the inhabitants of the fortress gathered plants from different planets in the garden, creating a very diverse and breathtaking collection of botany.

Satine followed the familiar path deeper into the garden. Her tiny feet guided her by themselves. She walked on a stone cube between trees and shrubs, passed several ponds and fountains, and finally came to a beautiful gazebo, which was sprinkled on all sides by flowers - her favourite - white lilies.

The young blonde loved plants, and it seemed to be mutual. She had long noticed that she had a unique hand for plants, and the flowers she kept in the room she shared with Bo were always healthy and bloomed beautifully. Satine didn't know why this was happening, but she enjoyed the good condition of her favourite plants.

Before she realized, she was taking her first step inside the gazebo. Her legs carried her all the way to the bench where she always sat with Bo.

Tears filled her eyes again at the thought of her sister.

Satine sat down on the bench, tucked her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. She rested her chin on her lap and stared at a piece of the garden full of white lilies.

 _I hurt Bo_ , the thought hit her like a rushing speeder, _it's all my fault!_

Satine felt her ears begin to ring. Her heart was beating hard and loud. She tightened her little fingers on the fabric of her nightgown, trying to clear her head.

She took a deep breath, but involuntarily tears began to run down her cheeks and the girl couldn't hold back the sobs that escaped from her throat. She rested her forehead against her knees and began rocking back and forth.

_My fault. Bo... my fault!_

The tinnitus persisted. Her head was starting to ache, and her fingers tightened on the fabric of her pajamas until her hands trembled.

_My fault. I hurt her!_

There was a crack. Satine lifted her head from her lap, looking in horror for the source of the sound. She looked up and noticed that there was no lamp hanging there until recently. She looked at the floor, shards of glass scattered on it.

 _You can't control yourself_ , an angry voice told her, sounding just like her father, _you are a threat!_

 _I'm_ burk’yc _._

The hum in her head and the thoughts she couldn't shake off were excruciating. Satine covered her ears with both hands as if it would help control the chaos of her thoughts.

Several long, painful minutes passed, and finally, Satine began to feel tired. Her eyes began to close by themselves and the girl leaned against the side of the gazebo. She let her heavy eyelids drop. As she was on the verge of sleep, one last, silent thought appeared in her mind.

_I am a monster._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely hope that the prologue to history has not bored you. The next chapter equals a time shift and we will move on to the events proper.
> 
> Mando's Dictionary:  
> buir - mom, dad  
> verde - warriors  
> vod - sister, brother  
> K'uur! - Shhh!  
> ik’add - a small child  
> ba'vodu - aunt, uncle  
> Wayii! - exclamation of sursprise  
> ad’ika – daughter, son  
> Haar’chaak! - Shit!  
> cyar'ika – darling  
> burk’yc - dangerous


	2. just give me a reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When two adult sisters meet after a long separation, the conversation does not stick, the atmosphere is awkward, emotions take over, and an argument is in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you could see, I give chapters titles of the songs. The content of a given song doesn't describe the content of the chapters, so don't use your knowledge of the song to guess how the story will turn out. It just sounded nice to me :P

> **_38 BBY, Mandalore_ **

The shot from the blaster hit the training dummy right in the forehead.

Another hit a point just above the heart.

The third hit in the stomach.

All the shots were so precise that if the dummy were human, the plasma projectile would be fatal.

Bo-Katan Kryze moved with a free hand a strand of red, straight hair that had blinded her eyes a moment earlier, limiting her visibility.

Once a week, Bo-Katan practiced her shooting skills in one of the palace's training rooms. In addition to stationary mannequins, which allowed for a quick warm-up, the room was also equipped with movable mannequins, which were to increase the difficulty of exercises.

The red-haired girl walked over to the control panel and clicked on the tile marked “advanced training”. The machine gave a short signal.

_ >Welcome to Advanced Training. Before you proceed to–< _

“-exercise, make sure your outfit allows you to move freely, blah, blah,” Bo-Katan finished in a bored voice. “Who came up with the non-skippable tutorial?”

She glanced at the communicator wrapped around her wrist. No new messages. She sighed, slackening her shoulders and walking slowly to where a large red cross was visible on the floor. She closed her eyes.

_ >Remember the safety rules. Good luck. Training starts in 10... 9... 8…< _

She opened her eyes and took the position.

_ >3... 2... 1... START.< _

She fired the dummy that appeared in front of her right between its eyes.

A quick turn and two more dummies were hit by a blaster shot.

In the next few minutes, she aimed with deadly precision at various points on the bodies of the training subjects.

_ >Hit 50 out of 50 targets. Congratulations.< _

Bo-Katan took a deep breath. She couldn't remember the last time that she wasn't 100% accurate. She really liked these exercises and knew that regular workouts kept her in shape, but she knew they were just mannequins. The real opponents thought, dodged and attacked, and training dolls would not hurt anyone.

_ >In the next exercise, the dummies move faster and the waiting time is shorter. You have to hit them on the highlighted point on their bodies. Good luck. Training starts in 10…< _

She set her legs in a dancing pose. Despite the extreme differences, fighting was a bit like dancing. If a warrior was in control of their body, knew their limitations and weaknesses, and could control every movement, fate was on their side.

The computer countdown ended with a loud beep. Bo-Katan turned quickly and shot the first mannequin in the thigh. The second was hit in the neck.

The training dummies began to form a circle around her, so she spun as if her dance partner had pulled her into a pirouette.

A few steps to the left. Head, neck, belly. A few steps to the right. Hand, leg, head. She hit three mannequins in a row right between the eyes and was turning to the fourth as her communicator started beeping. “ _Haar’chak_!” she didn't have time to shoot another doll before it disappeared, so she picked up the call irritably. “Bo-Katan.”

“It's good that I didn't decide to come to you personally because I'm afraid I wouldn't survive this confrontation.”

“Pre.” Bo-Katan said a little more gently, though still irritated. “You interrupted my training, and I was just breaking my record.”

“Can you beat the highest possible score?”

“You can't be too fast in combat,” she said dryly, a slight smirk on her lips. “Did you just call to tease me?”

“I actually called you so you wouldn't hear me sneaking up on you.” and moments later she felt a hand on her waist. She turned her head quickly, but before she could say anything, Pre leaned over her and kissed her quickly on the lips.

“Nobody told you that it’s foolish to sneak up on an armed person?”

“Nobody told you that a warrior should never lose their guard?”

“Oh, shut up,” she said with a small smile, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “Did you come to practice?”

She watched as Pre went to the computer and turned off the training program, then watched the screen closely. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at her with amusement. “No. But I must admit that I was unnecessarily afraid, you missed some dolls.”

“If you hadn't called me...” she walked over to him.

“What if you had to talk to your comrades through a helmet during the fight?” the blonde raised one eyebrow, taking the blaster from her hand. “You'd fall to the ground dead after a few seconds.”

“Mmm,” she crossed her arms, looking at him defiantly. “I missed your optimism.”

“Sarcasm runs in your family, as I can see,” he smiled slightly. “Speaking of your family, I received a call from your father while sitting in the flight tower...”

“ _Buir_ called you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. “You instead of his own daughter?”

“You know...” Pre looked at her suggestively. “To be honest, I'm almost like a son...”

“Son?”

“Son-in-law.”

She gave him a look. “I don't remember agreeing to marry you.”

“Because I haven't asked you yet,” a look of surprise appeared on Bo's face, and Pre couldn't help but smile at her expression. After a short while he cleared his throat and folded his hands behind his back. “Anyway, your father called and said they should be landing on Mandalore within an hour.”

“They’ll be here in an hour?”

“Actually...” he looked at the communicator on his wrist. “They'll be here in about half an hour.”

“Half an hour?!” she gave him an angry look. “Why didn't you say it right away?!”

“Relax, _cyar'ika_ , we'll manage to get to the hangars just in time.”

“We?” Bo-Katan tapped him on the shoulder and turned to leave. “Oh no, Pre, I'll go there alone, and you better go back to the flight tower or I'll tell your boss what you do during working hours!”

She gave him one malicious look and ran towards the locker room, leaving him in the training room without saying goodbye.

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan paced the corridor at a leisurely pace, her expression neutral even though her nerves were eating at her inside.

For two reasons.

 _One_. Conversation with Pre. Or rather, his words about being a son-in-law, which no doubt implied marriage. The thought terrified her. Bo-Katan was seventeen years old and so far her life goal was to become a Mandalorian woman who respects and understands the traditions of her people. There was no room for anything as binding as marriage in her near future. Otherwise…

Bo-Katan had known Pre Vizsla since she was a child. He was three years older than her, and their parents were friends. When they were both little, they spent a lot of time together, and Satine usually played with both of them.

But suddenly something changed and her sister never joined them again. There have only been the two of them since then. Bo and Pre.

When Bo-Katan was thirteen and Pre sixteen, his parents sent him to the Flight Academy, where he learned all about piloting and ship mechanics. Pre spent three years in school and had returned to Sundari a few months back.

Their relationship, after three years without any contact, was reborn in a different way than she had originally assumed. She would never have expected her childhood friend to become her partner, and yet that was what she called him for the past few weeks.

However, the marriage was too violent a move. Adonai and Rivett Kryze were a couple for several years before they decided to get married. With their internship, her couple-weeks-long relationship looked ridiculous.

 _Two_. Pre wasn't the only who disappeared from her life for several years.

Because her sister was returning to Mandalore with their parents. 

Satine.

At nineteen, Satine graduated from the Coruscant Academy and was perfectly placed to pursue a career in politics. For as long as Bo-Katan could remember, her sister was marked by her parents to follow in their father's footsteps.

Duke Adonai was not only a warrior raised as the centuries-old civil war in their system was slowly coming to an end, but he was also a politician. A very good politician. After all, he was elected ruler of the New Mandalorians for a reason.

Satine was the perfect material for his successor. From childhood, their father took her to political events. His older daughter accompanied him to some of the Cabinet debates and meetings. When she became a teenager, their father took her on journeys around the planets and moons of the system to introduce her to the world over which she would one day rule.

Her sister was always there. Always close to Adonai Kryze. Yet Bo-Katan felt as if she wasn’t there at all.

Satine was like the fairy-tale characters their parents read about to them in the evenings when they were just children. Like the heroes of folk tales, she was part of Bo-Katan's childhood. Later, as the years went by, there was less and less of Satine in Bo-Katan’s life, her memory weakened, and finally, Bo-Katan wondered sometimes–waking up in the middle of the night–whether Satine really existed.

If it wasn’t a childhood dream.

She couldn't remember the last time they spoke. Whether they talked at all. She wouldn't be surprised if her sister were just a ghost that would disappear as soon as she spoke to her.

Bo-Katan was snapped out of her thoughts by loud noises coming from the hangar she was approaching. Taking a deep breath, she entered the hall with her back perfectly straight.

**x x x x x**

Her parents' ship was distinctive. Slim, long, made of smooth metal, full of ornaments taken straight from the Mandalorian culture. On the bow was the proud coat of arms of Clan Kryze in the colours of the House.

Even though at first glance the machine looked like it was intended only for transportation, the appearance was deceptive. For her father was a Mandalorian by flesh and blood, and even if he did not share the love of his ancestors for battle, the honour and safety of his family were important to him, and the ship could not soar into the sky without the proper instruments to defend itself or get rid of the intrusive enemy.

The machine ramp lowered slowly. Two men came down from the deck - Bo-Katan knew them, they were her mother's distant cousins, who acted as their guards and often flew with her parents on various trips. Just behind them came her father, proud with his back straight, his face serious as ever, but as his gaze fell on Bo-Katan, his lips stretched into a rare smile.

She smiled back and ran to him, hugging him with all her strength. It was a rare demonstration of affection on her part, but if Bo-Katan was going to show someone her softer side, it was her parents and Pre.

“ _Buir_ ,” she pulled away from him, staring straight into eyes as green as her own. “How was your trip?”

“Great, _ad'ika._ ” Adonai Kryze folded his hands behind his back and turned his head towards the ship. “Although it was extremely long. Maybe because your mother didn't have time to talk to me.”

“Oh, Adonai.” Rivett Kryze spoke from the ship's slipway, giving her husband a smile. “You’ve had me near every day for over 20 years, and I haven't seen our daughter for almost a year!”

Daughter.

Satine.

Bo-Katan noticed a tall figure now standing next to her mother. She measured her sister's figure with her eyes, starting with her feet.

Heels. No wonder that as soon as Bo-Katan looked at her, she found it strange that Satine was taller than their mother.

Dress. Simple, blue and silver–clearly in their House’s colours, but a dress nonetheless.

She stopped her observation for a moment, glancing quickly at her own clothes. Heavy boots, pants and a practical blouse.

They couldn't be more different.

She looked at her sister again, now looking at her face. Or rather, hair.

Bo-Katan preferred simple, practical hairstyles, so she had always had her hair no longer than shoulder length and combed back, held close to her head with a headband bearing their house's crest.

Satine experimented with her hair from her youth. As a child, she wore them just like Bo-Katan, that is, up to her arms. However, from the day their relationship shifted rapidly, Satine's hair grew and grew and grew until it was almost to her waist. And with that length, Satine left Mandalore three years earlier to start her studies.

Now Bo-Katan couldn't tell how long her sister's hair was. Blond curls were pinned up on her head in some complicated bun and the only thing that caught her eye was a huge, white lily, woven into the very centre of the pin-up.

Bo-Katan could hear her parents talking about something in the distance–they must have teased, as always when they were in a good mood, and this was evidently caused by the presence of their older daughter–but even the scraps of conversation she had heard stopped reaching her when she noticed that she was staring at her sister.

And her sister was staring at her.

Bo was staring intently into Satine's blue eyes. The eyes her older sister inherited from their mother. But when Rivett's eyes were the colour of a cloudless sky, and most of the time they looked at her interlocutor warmly, Satine's irises resembled rather the ice sculptures that Bo had once seen at an art exhibition in Kalevala.

Satine's eyes were cold and Bo-Katan had to hold back hard not to tremble under their judgmental gaze.

“Bo-Katan,” Satine said suddenly, her voice devoid of emotion. Bo-Katan noticed that her sister even spoke in a different way, with a different accent. “How are you?”

“Satine,” she replied equally formally, wincing internally at the whole awkward situation. “Great. I just finished training. You know, I shot dummies...”

A moment of silence.

Satine raised one of the perfectly plucked pale eyebrows and Bo-Katan had the overwhelming feeling that the expression on her face could convey disappointment as well as curiosity. Satine was hard to read.

“I have the best results at the palace,” she added after a moment. “I could have broken the record today, too, but that _di'kut_ –” she broke off suddenly and cleared her throat without meeting Satine's eyes. “I mean Pre, he interrupted my training, so nothing came of it.”

“Oh,” there was silence again. “Congratulations on your successes.”

“Thank you.” and after a moment's thought, she added. “Same to you.”

Bo-Katan turned to her parents, avoiding looking at her sister. They hadn't seen each other for a year, but their conversation was so painfully awkward as if they were seeing each other for the first time and couldn't find a good topic to discuss, which wasn't far from the truth, actually.

Rivett must have sensed the atmosphere because she took in both daughters and gave them a broad smile. “My _adike_ ,” if anyone had a talent for relieving tension, it was their mother. “I think we could use a family dinner to celebrate your success, _Sat'ika_.”

Satine smiled slightly, completely unaware that Bo-Katan was staring at her as if she had grown a second head. “Of course, Mother,” she said in a _slightly_ warmer voice. “It's good to be home at last.”

 _Oh, yeah_ , Bo-Katan thought. _At least now I know Satine wasn't made up._

**x x x x** **x**

Bo-Katan stood in front of the large mirror and looked closely at the silhouette reflected in its surface. The glass showed her a young, seventeen-year-old girl with red hair, sharp green eyes, and dressed strangely unusual for her.

Family dinners at Clan Kryze had different rules, so Bo-Katan had to grit her teeth and get out of her comfort zone. A compromise between something elegant and practical was a grey jumpsuit tied at the waist with a thick green belt and equally green flat shoes. If the whole outfit hadn't been a gift from their mother, she wouldn't have ever worn it in her life, but if she could please Rivett, she was going to do it.

She checked once more whether the headband held her hair in one place and, quite pleased with her appearance, turned on her heel and headed towards the door. She put her hand to the reader and the door opened with a soft humming noise.

The rays of the setting sun greeted her.

Sundari Palace was nothing like their home fortress on Kalevala. The worst element of the building, in Bo-Katan’s opinion, was the huge windows that adorned almost every corridor and every room. Apart from the danger of the enormous visibility caused by the expansive glass panes, the palace was also too bright. The sun's rays weren't completely blocked by the dome, and she had found this out more than once when she had to cover her eyes with her hand.

She stubbornly avoided looking at the windows through which the irritating rays of the sun broke through. Maybe that was why she was staring intensely at the floor–she knew the building's layout by heart, after all–and that was why she hadn't noticed that someone was coming around the corner. She realized it when she bumped into someone, and someone's hands tightened on her shoulders to hold her in place.

She looked up, out of her thoughts from a sudden collision with another human being, only to look straight into blue eyes, cold as ice.

“Bo-Katan.” Satine regarded her with a blank expression, taking her hands away from her sister’s arms. “Nice jumpsuit.”

“Thank you,” Bo-Katan said after a moment, surprised by the sudden compliment. She looked at her sister over. “Nice dress.”

“Gift from Mother.” the corners of her lips lifted slightly, and Bo-Katan's eyebrows made a similar gesture as she looked at Satine.

“That's funny,” she said after a moment. “My outfit is also a gift from Mother.”

“Hmmm. We are adult women and we are still dressed by our Mother. I feel like a little girl again.” Satine sighed, turning and waving her hand toward the hallway. The gesture attracted Bo-Katan’s attention. “Shall we?”

She just nodded, too absorbed to stare at her sister's wrists. Each bore a bracelet, silver, with the mark of Clan Kryze. But when she looked more closely, she noticed little protrusions on them.

Satine must have noticed that her sister was showing interest in her wrists because she pushed the sleeves of her dress to cover the jewellery. Bo-Katan frowned and looked curiously at the blonde.

“I've never seen these bracelets.” Satine didn't even turn her head, staring straight ahead. “And yet they bear the mark of our Clan. Where did you get them?”

“It's a gift from Father.” Satine glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “For graduation.”

“But why two?”

“I like to wear them like that, I'm obsessed with symmetry,” Satine said quickly, but the stubbornness with which she avoided looking at Bo-Katan convinced the younger sister that the older one was lying. “Can you smell it?” 

The redhead rolled her eyes at the sudden change of subject, but she knew that she would get nothing more from her sister, so, as her sister suggested, she took a deep breath. “Oh. I think it’ll be dinner soon.”

They both quickened their pace, almost forgetting the tension between them.

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan did not know what was in her mother's head–because Rivett was responsible for seating guests at all feasts, including family dinners–when she decided that she and Satine should sit next to each other, facing their parents.

 _As if this day couldn't be more awkward_ , she thought, looking at her mother significantly. Rivett just smiled in response to the irritated expression on her younger daughter's face and sat back comfortably in her chair, running her eyes between the two young women.

“Adonai,” she said, in a voice too cheerful for Bo-Katan's taste, and looked over her shoulder at her husband. “Don't they look beautiful?”

“Of course, _cyar'ika_ ,” came the reply from Adonai, who was walking towards the table with a bottle of Alderaanian wine. “You gave them all the best genes.”

“Oh, but Bo has your eyes.” Rivett's smile did not disappear. “and Tine has your nose, my dear.” Her blue eyes watched the glasses of wine being filled one by one. “So your genes are just fine too.”

“I'm afraid to ask.” Bo-Katan interrupted suddenly with an expression of interest or horror, it was hard to tell. “But you're not just trying to tell us we're going to have siblings, are you?”

She immediately regretted her words when she felt three pairs of eyes on her, one green and two blue ones, staring intently. And then their mother laughed, and their father chuckled in his deep voice. Bo-Katan only glared at them critically under raised eyebrows.

“Oh, _ad'ika_ , but you must have a sense of humour after your father.”

“So I take it as no?” she was staring straight into Rivett's eyes, and Rivett just shook her head, smiling slightly. “Thank the stars.” And without another word, she grabbed her glass and took a few deep gulps. After a moment, she put her glass down on the table, scowling. “Who drinks these things? This is awful.”

“Wine is to be drunk slowly, Bo-Katan.” Satine looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow and the shadow of a smile on her lips. “It's not _tihaar_.”

“And how do _you_ know such things?”

“Oh.” Satine glanced at her parents as if it was a coded message they understood. “It happens I have been to a few banquets.”

Bo snorted, tearing her gaze away from her sister and looking expectantly at her parents. “So when is this dinner going to be?”

**x x x x x**

The meal passed quickly and in a relatively relaxed atmosphere. Satine spoke about her studies and life on Coruscant, to which Bo-Katan listened with curiosity, a hint of jealousy, and a degree of anger.

The woman sitting next to her looked like her sister, sounded like her sister, yet she wasn’t her at all.

She bore a grace similar to that of Queen of Naboo or the Alderaanian Royals, which did not match the Mandalorian upbringing Satine had received while still a child. Her body showed no readiness to fight, her outfit was completely unsuitable for any action, even in self-defence, and Bo did not see her sister carrying a blaster.

And when she started talking–Bo thought it had been a long time since she heard such a smooth and emotionless way of speaking. Plus, the Mandalorians had an accent that Satine didn't seem to have anymore. When she spoke basic, she sounded like she was born on Coruscant.

Bo-Katan made a face of disgust. How could someone who did not understand the Mandalorian tradition and succumbed so easily to the Republic's influence rule over their people in the future?

 _Could not_ –

“Bo-Katan,” Rivett said in a voice trying to get attention. “You weren't listening to us.”

“Sorry, _buir_ ,” she bowed her head in respect. “I was pondering.”

“Don’t be sorry, _cyar'ika_ ,” Rivett gave her a warm smile and glanced out of the corner of her eye at her husband. “We understand what it is like to be in love and to have your head in the clouds.”

“I don't–” Bo-Katan shook her head, feeling the flush on her pale cheeks. She took a sip of water from the glass and looked at her mother. “I wasn't thinking about Pre, Mother.”

“No need to be ashamed, Bo.”

“Oh, please.”

“All right. I believe you.” Rivett sat more easily in her chair, looking at her younger daughter with an expression on her face that did not effectively conceal amusement. “So what were you thinking about?”

Bo-Katan took a deep breath and sat more straightly on her chair, looking at her mother and a moment later at her father. “I don't think Satine is the right person to be the leader of Mandalore.”

There was silence after her words. She could feel both parents' eyes on her, but she was staring at her sister, who avoided her gaze, with a neutral expression staring at their father.

Adonai Kryze looked quickly at his older daughter, exchanged a brief glance with his wife, then turned all his attention to the younger offspring.

“And why do you think so?”

 _Now or never_ , she thought, took a deep breath and looked at her father straight in the eye.

“I think so because in my opinion, Satine is not a real Mandalorian, and only such a person can rule us.”

“A real Mandalorian...” Adonai Kryze gave his older daughter a long, thoughtful look, then turned back to the younger one. “Who do you think it is?”

“You really can't see it, _buir_ ?” the redhead raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. “Satine doesn't even look like one of us. Dress, funny hairstyle, high heels–where is the readiness to fight? Where is her _beskar'gam_? Where's her weapon?”

“Weapons aren't just blasters or cannons, Bo-Katan,” her father was looking at her with a stern but calm expression on his face. “A good politician and skilled diplomat use words as his weapon. Words will help him stave off a conflict, make a deal, negotiate, and protect their people.”

Bo-Katan shook her head, leaning over the table and resting her hands on it. “People will never accept her on the throne, she is too _Republican_ , too weak–”

“Bo-Katan, you forget your–”

“I do not forget myself, I have the right to express my opinion,” she said earnestly, then turned to her mother. “You don't see it either? Or don’t you want to?”

“ _Ad'ika_.” Rivett began with a calm voice, but without a trace of a smile on her lips. “I think you are unfair to your sister.” She trailed off, looking at Satine, then back at Bo. “When was the last time you talked normally? When–”

“It's hard to talk normally when your sister has been pretending for over ten years that you don't exist.” 

“Bo-Kat–”

“No!” she jumped up from her chair, staring down at Satine and their parents. “You all pretend that our family is fine, but it’s not fine at all!” she pushed her chair back and started pacing beside the table. “I look at the woman sitting next to me and I don't know who she is! She’s a complete stranger to me! She looks different, talks different–there is nothing to it from the Satine I remember from my childhood!” she gave all three of them a sharp glance. “Suddenly she turned away from me, stopped playing with me, got a new room, and then disappeared to live in the capital of the Republic, and what am I supposed to think?!”

“You know very well why we sent Satine to school on Coruscant, Bo-Katan.” Adonai was only looking at his younger daughter now. “We may not like the Republic. We may not be part of the Republic. But the Republic has schools that educate the best politicians. There are tons of different planets, different races and different cultures in the Republic–education on Coruscant opens the door to a better understanding of the relationship between races and planets, economics and many other areas–”

“You don't understand me, _buir_ ,” Bo-Katan shook her head violently, pausing and pointing at Satine with her hand. “I don't mean where she studied. I mean how it has changed her. Can’t you see? She is, in your opinion, a fighter worthy of leading our people?”

“Why does it all have to be about fighting?” Satine's cold voice chilled Bo-Katan for a moment as she frowned at her sister. “Don't you see that Mandalore's biggest problem is that we put the fight over diplomacy?”

“It's our tradition,” Bo replied sharply, clenching her hands into fists. “Next you’ll be telling me you want to make pacifists out of us!”

“What if I do?” Satine raised an eyebrow, shooting her sister a questioning look. “The war lasting centuries destroyed our system, destroyed our ecosystem, deprived us of normal places to live.” she continued, looking at her sister. “I saw in the archives what Mandalore or Kalevala looked like a hundred or two hundred years ago, and you know what? These were completely different planets–full of life, greenery, animals. You could breathe on them! Toxic rain did not fall from the sky, the water did not require such thorough filtering, and our ancestors did not have to hide under the domes!” with every word in Satine's voice, there was a passion that she no longer had control over, which made Bo-Katan realize that maybe her sister had at least a few drops of Mandalorian blood in her veins. “Our ancestors fought, but for what purpose? With who? With each other! They slaughtered each other like animals without thinking about what the consequences would be. Consequences that affect us–me, parents, you, all clans.”

Bo-Katan looked at her for a long moment without taking her eyes off her face. She squeezed and relaxed her hands several times until she finally leaned over and rested them on the tabletop. “It's _jetiise_ ' fault,” she growled, looking at her family with disgust in her eyes. “It was the war with them that destroyed our system.”

“No, Bo-Katan.” Satine shook her head slightly. “It was our misunderstood honour that destroyed our system.”

“How dare you–”

“Calm down, Bo-Katan!”

“No, Father!” Bo shook her head at him reproachfully. “She has no right to offend our ancestors, our traditions.”

“I have the right to criticize their bad decisions,” Satine said coolly. “I have the right to point out their mistakes.”

“Each of those people was a hundred times better leader than you will ever be.”

“Perhaps.” she replied, giving her sister a hard look. “Or perhaps I can rebuild what was destroyed.”

“I hope Father will rule as long as possible then.” Bo-Katan's voice was tight and sharp. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked expectantly at Satine. “Since you are here, and you are very talkative, why not answer some of my questions?” she raised her eyebrows. “Why don't you tell me why you're avoiding me? Why are you so… cold?”

“I'm sorry, Bo-Katan.” Satine shook her head, staring at her parents out of the corner of her eye. “I can’t do that.”

“Why?” Bo-Katan raised an eyebrow at her defiantly. “Because you’re a fool? Or because you don't have a good excuse?”

“It's for security reasons.”

“Security reasons!” she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “What, were you afraid that while playing, I would accidentally hit or push you and you would not be a flawless doll anymore?”

“Flawless?” the corners of her mouth lifted slightly in a tense smile. “I have a birth flaw.”

“Oh, really?” Bo-Katan tilted her head in mock surprise. “Is it your heart of stone?”

“You know nothing–”

“Of course, I know nothing!” she laughed dryly, then began pacing back and forth again. “After all, no one ever tells me anything!”

“Bo-Katan.” Satine got up from her chair and walked over to her younger sister, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “ _Vod_.”

The term provoked a strong, almost primitive rage in Bo-Katan. She took a step away from Satine, and Satine lowered her arm, resigning to touch her. She looked at her sister with an unreadable expression.

The lack of any emotion was the ultimate cause of Bo-Katan's outburst.

“Do not call me sister.” she snarled, looking at Satine in disgust, clenching her fists. “I do not have one.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, something flashed into Satine's eyes–an initial emotion. Pain.

But Bo-Katan was too emotional to feel remorse, and with a last contemptuous glance, she turned away from her and ran wordlessly out of the family dining room, ignoring their parents’ calls.

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan ran blindly through the corridors of the palace.

The argument after dinner was still alive in her head. Worse, the argument triggered an unstoppable stream of memories from her entire life, including childhood.

She analyzed some memories, trying to organize them chronologically. Once she did, she tried to remember when her whole life had changed.

When exactly did Satine turn from her? When did she leave her alone?

They were just so young... Bo-Katan thought she couldn't have been more than five years old, because her memories of her sister were strangely cloudy, as if too old and too transformed by a child's mind for any useful information to be drawn from.

Suddenly she was hit by the noise of the engines.

Bo-Katan looked around and realized that her legs had led her towards the flight tower. And Pre worked in the flight tower.

As if on cue, a tall blonde appeared a few meters in front of her. Bo-Katan blinked several times, and as young Vizsla came closer, she gave him a tight smile.

“What are you doing here, Bo?” Pre leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You want an excuse to tell my boss about me slacking off?”

“Are you still working?”

“No, Bo. I was at the meeting,” Pre looked at her strangely. “I have a morning shift this week. You do not remember?”

“Oh.” she frowned. “Forgive me.”

“You're acting weird,” he said after a few seconds of silence. “Something happened?”

“Yes.” she sighed, looking at him with a tired expression on her face. “We had a family dinner. The conversation turned into an argument, and I finally got angry and escaped from there.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I'm here on a pure coincidence, I didn't look where I was going.”

“Maybe it's not a coincidence,” Pre smirked and took her hand. Bo-Katan stiffened for a split second before letting her body relax–the intimate touch was still new to her and she was trying to get used to it. “Let’s sit on the bench and talk.”

They walked a few meters to one of the benches in the vast glassed gardens of the Sundari Palace. Bo-Katan sat down on it with a sigh, a moment later Pre sat down next to her and put his hand on his knee, centre up, which she read as an invitation, and she laced their fingers together.

“Did you know my sister is a pacifist?” she snorted, staring up at the sky, where stars started to appear slowly. “My own sister, appointed by our father to succeed him, cowards before the fight.”

“Fighting isn't necessarily an act of courage, Bo.” Pre said after a moment of silence. “Sometimes it is the result of desperation, sometimes it is for defence. I have no doubts Satine knows how to defend herself.”

“Yes, she can,” she said sarcastically. “With words.”

Pre looked at her, silent for another long moment. “I think it's unwise to underestimate her, Bo.” he said seriously. “You should never underestimate your opponent.”

Bo-Katan looked into his eyes for a long moment.

Opponent.

 _Aru’e_.

Yes. Satine was a stranger to her. Satine was a threat to Mandalorian culture, to the traditions of their people.

And since she opposed their way of life, she was not her sister.

 _If she's not my sister, she is my enemy_ , she thought fervently.

She turned her face back to the dome surrounding the capital, but said no more, too absorbed in the anger, that swirled in her heart, as hot as the Mandalorian sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a dictionary:  
> ad'ika - little daughter  
> adike - daughters / sons / children  
> di'kut - idiot  
> Sat'ika - affectionate abbreviation of the name Satine  
> beskar’gam - Mandalorian armour  
> aru’e - enemy


	3. wind of change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When all hope is lost, parents decide to take their daughters' relationships into their own hands. Words are exchanged, promises are given, and then one event changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new chapter appeared earlier than I planned! :P The action will be quite fast for the next few chapters, so don't be surprised by the possible intensity of the story.
> 
> Have a nice weekend!

A few days later, Rivett Kryze stood outside the door of her younger daughter's room, intending to talk frankly.

The tension between Bo-Katan and Satine hadn't diminished since their quarrel. At meals together, the two women didn't speak to each other or even look at each other. The atmosphere was so dense that it could be cut with a knife.

Rivett couldn't idly watch her children drift apart even further, as they nurtured the growing animosity between them. She didn't think of it as hate. She did not want to admit to herself that her daughters-her beloved  _ ade _ , whose childish, cheerful laughter had brought a smile on her face years earlier, now only caused her sadness, accompanied by a twinge in her heart - might not rebuild their relationship.

It couldn't happen.

Rivett put her hand to the panel and the door to her daughter's room swung open with a slight hum. She walked slowly through the door and looked around the room. Bo-Katan was nowhere to be found.

Rivett frowned and glanced at her communicator. It was still morning, her daughter's absence surprised her even more. 

Then she heard a hum. Water.

She looked towards her daughter's private refresher and sighed. It looked like she was taking a shower. So Rivett went to the huge window. The view was exceptionally beautiful. It spread out over the palace gardens that were the pride of Sundari. No wonder Bo-Katan loved to sit on the windowsill. 

Rivett sat there and waited.

She didn't know how many minutes had passed - admiring nature always made time run out inexorably, but suddenly her younger daughter's surprised voice broke her out of her thoughts.

“Mother.” she greeted her with a questioning look, stopping a few steps from the refresher. “What are you doing here? Something happened?”

“Yes and no.” Rivett turned to her daughter and crossed her arms over her chest. “We need to talk,  _ ad'ika _ .”

Bo-Katan stared at her for several long seconds, then nodded with a sigh. “I see.” She came to her mother and also stood by the window. They both looked at the garden. “It's about Satine, isn't it?”

“No, Bo.” Rivett looked at her daughter, who was still staring through the glass. “It's about both of you.”

Bo-Katan turned her head and looked at her mother, eyebrows raised in interest. Rivett waved her hand and without an unnecessary word, they both sat on the windowsill and looked at each other again.

“Did you know that I and your  _ ba'vodu _ Varus weren't always that close?” Rivett began with a soft voice. “Varus is older than me-over a decade-so I think I understand what it's like to be the younger sibling, Bo.” She smiled slightly, looking around the room. “When we were younger, Varus was unbearable. He always considered himself smarter and treated me like a little child, which I was, of course.” she chuckled. “He rarely took me seriously, and only I know how many times he cursed me for being the most annoying child in the galaxy.” 

She continued in a soft melancholy voice and glanced at her daughter with a smirk on her lips. “I suspect he was quite right. I had to be a little monster.” Bo-Katan smiled slightly at those words. “But as the years passed, I became a teenager, then a young woman and my relationship with Varus kept getting better. He wasn't treating me like a baby anymore, no longer sighing or rolling his eyes when I was around. Over the years, we have learned to respect each other, and now…” At that moment, Rivett looked her daughter straight in the eye, her gaze expressing the importance of her coming words. “And now we're best friends. We tell ourselves about everything. We take care of ourselves.”

There was a brief silence. Bo-Katan stared into Rivett's blue eyes-so similar to Satine's and yet so different, much warmer-and Rivett was staring just as intensely into her daughter's eyes-so similar to her father's, yet so different, with some fire hidden in the green of the irises.

“Ah,” she muttered, clenching her hands on the windowsill at her sides and looking straight ahead. “So you think me and Satine are immature and therefore we can't get along?”

“Don't twist my words, Bo-Katan,” Rivett replied firmly, giving her daughter a hard look. “You know very well that the moral of my story is different.”

“Really?” she glanced at her mother, raising an eyebrow. “So what, we have to wait and time will fix everything?”

“Bo-Katan…” Rivett looked at her warningly. “Were you not blinded by your anger at your sister, the meaning of my words would be completely clear to you.”

Bo-Katan pressed her lips tightly together as she turned her head towards the window and looked over her shoulder at the garden. “So  _ what _ is the point of this story?”

“Understanding, Bo-Katan,” Rivett replied simply. “Respect. Time too. But most of all, understanding.”

“Understanding?” she looked at her with a scowl. “How am I supposed to understand a pacifist?”

“I will not discuss with you whose views are more appropriate.” Rivett gave her a sharp look. “This is a conversation for a different moment,” she sighed. “When we fix this mess in our family a little.”

Bo-Katan looked at her sceptically, then muttered dissatisfied. “I will remember that promise.”

“Oh, Bo.” Rivett reached out and placed her hand on her daughter's, stroking its back with her thumb. “I'm just asking you to understand… no, to  _ try  _ to understand your sister.” Bo-Katan looked at their hands and then at her mother. “She's right. You are right. In your own ways. But your different approach to some of the matters shouldn’t influence your relationship.”

“If it were that easy,  _ buir _ .” she gave her a slightly angry look. “It's hard to treat Satine like a family member when she treated me like I haven't existed to her for over ten years.”

“Satine loves you, Bo-Katan.” Rivett looked at her with tenderness, but Bo turned her head to look at the floor. “I know she loves you. She does not show it because... she is just like that. Aligned. Cool. She will be a good politician.”

“If she were such a sister…”

Rivett had a small smile on her lips. “So she is your sister after all?”

Bo-Katan swallowed, remembering the words Satine had said to her face. Back then, they seemed the best she could say. Now her conscience was tormenting her. “I was angry, Mother,” she admitted with a scowl on her face. “Just so, so angry. She's not…” she sighed, staring at the ceiling. “I remember different Satine... Warm, funny. I remember her hugs. How she sang to me. How she combed my hair. I loved it.”

“You two can fix this, Bo.” Rivett squeezed her hand, her blue eyes shining with what Bo read as hope. “Just try to understand her. She doesn't want to be your enemy.”

“If you say so,” she said quietly. “Maybe…” she muttered after a moment. “I'll think about talking to her. But I make no promises.” She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. After a while, she added. “And I have to sort everything out.”

Rivett got up from the windowsill and stood in front of her daughter. She took both her hands in hers and looked her in the eyes.

“I'm so proud of you,  _ ad'ika _ .” A smile that appeared on Rivett’s face was so warm that Bo without hesitation believed the truth of her mother's words. “And I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Mother,” Bo-Katan said in a soft voice reserved for her loved ones. “You and Father.  _ Ratiin _ .”

“ _ Ratiin _ .”

Rivett bowed her head and touched their foreheads. For the first time in years, she felt that it could be good. That relationship between her daughters could get better. That they would be a real family again.

**x x x x x**

Adonai Kryze has never been a good interlocutor when it comes to human emotions. He did not like to show them, as he was distant and cool by nature, but there was an exception to every rule. The exception in his case was his  _ aliit _ - _ riduur _ and  _ ade _ .

Maybe that's why he agreed to talk to his firstborn about nothing less than feelings and family when Rivett asked him to. 

He thought it easy. Satine was in many aspects just like him. She was also reserved and cautious, but Adonai knew that she had no less love and respect for her family than any of her other members.

Adonai looked at his communicator. He checked the time, and with a sigh, he started pacing his office again.

He had called Satine minutes earlier and his daughter had assured him that she would come to him as soon as possible. But the minutes passed, and Adonai, despite his calm disposition, felt patience slowly fading away.

He paced the room a few more times when he heard a knock on the door. He pressed a button on the desk and the door opened with a soft hum, and Satine stood in the doorway - proud and composed as always.

“ _ Ad'ika _ .” Adonai gave his daughter a half-smile and motioned her to come over to him. “Do you know what I called you for?”

“Normally I would have thought it was about something political.” Satine began cautiously, staring at her father out of the corner of her eye. “You look quite tense though, so it's probably about the feelings. And when it comes to feelings, it's about the family. As for the family…”

“It's about you and Bo-Katan.” Adonai finished the sentence, crossing his arms behind his back and looking at his daughter with a satisfied smile. “Great deduction. They taught you well, Satine.”

“I tried to do my best,  _ buir _ ,” Satine replied, lifting the corners of her mouth slightly. She clasped her hands in front of her and looked at her father questioningly. “Since I'm talking to you, Mother is probably talking to Bo-Katan.” Adonai nodded. “What have you done to deserve such a punishment?”

“Maybe I’ve eaten your Mother’s favourite cake.” Adonai smiled slightly and his daughter gasped. “And I left evidence of this crime.”

“No!” Satine placed one of the delicate hands on her chest in mock surprise. “It's  _ ori'suumyc _ .”

Adonai laughed lightly in his deep voice, then looked at his daughter, his expression turning suddenly quite serious. “You know what else is _ori'suumyc_ , Satine?” A delicate smile vanished from his daughter's face. “Sisters at each other's throats.”

“We're not at each other's throats,” Satine denied calmly. “We never got along, it happens.”

Adonai gave his daughter an unimpressed look. The lie came out of her mouth exceptionally smoothly, but to anyone who knew Satine a little better, it was still an obvious thing. “Oh,  _ ad'ika _ .” Adonai shook his head. “A politician must learn to lie well. In some situations it is necessary.”

“Father–” Adonai raised a hand and Satine paused, looking at him expectantly.

“Let me talk, please.” He took a deep breath and began pacing around the office. “As my successor, you have a lot to learn, Satine. The most important of them: a ruler cannot be vain. Cannot be proud. A good leader must be able to admit when wrong.” He stood in front of his daughter at that moment, looking straight into her blue eyes, while she was watching him closely. “I believe that when the time is right you will be a good Duchess, my dear. However, you still have a lot to learn until then,” he added with a small smile. 

“I know,” she said, looking a bit ashamed. “But I have time, don’t I?”

“Of course, Satine,” he said softly and then chuckled lightly. “I’m not planning on retiring right now.” she smiled lightly and he looked at her for a moment. Then he said, “Let’s go back to our main topic, shall we?” Adonai gave her hands a pointed look, then met her eyes. “Don't you think  _ it _ …” He reached with his hands to her wrists and wrapped his fingers around them. “was a mistake?”

Satine looked down at her hands, then at her father, then back at her hands. She tore them from the gentle grip of his fingers and nervously began to pull the sleeves over her bracelets with the Clan Kryze crest. Panic was visible in her eyes when she looked at her father again.

“You know I can't take them off,  _ buir _ .” She said quickly, her voice almost desperate. “It's dangerous. You saw what happened when I didn't have them. Don’t you remember…” she stopped, looking at him as if wanting to tell him something without words.

“Satine…” Adonai said quietly, looking at her patiently. “I can't make you take them off. You're already an adult. However, I can express my opinion and that is-I don't think you need them.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gently rubbed them, trying to bring comfort to his daughter. “You can't live your whole life in fear. You cannot let fear rule you. You must accept it but not bend to it.”

“It's not that easy,” she said in a somehow tired voice.

“I know.” He sighed, still stroking her shoulders. “In life, you will face fear more than once. Sometimes it will paralyze you. It will make you be guided by emotions or instincts instead of common sense. Sometimes fear will blind your judgment. It is impossible to live without it.” He added, bringing one of his hands to her cheek. “But you have to learn this symbiosis. You have to start treating your fear like a shadow that is hiding somewhere all the time, but it doesn't hurt you-it just is.” He moved his hand under her chin and directed her face so that she looked straight into his eyes. “What are you most afraid of,  _ ad'ika _ ?”

Satine closed her eyes for a moment, blocking from escape any tears that slowly gathered in her eyes. She took a deep breath and, after a moment of silence, opened her eyes. “I'm scared I will hurt someone.” She began quietly. “I'm afraid that I will not be a good ruler. But what I fear most is losing you.”

“Oh, Satine.” Adonai took his hands off her shoulder and face and spread his arms, inviting her into a hug. Satine readily accepted the offer, snuggling into her father's tall form and wrapped her arms around his waist. Adonai rested his chin in her head and spoke in a low, soothing voice. “What happened with Bo-it was an accident. Even if you didn't have any extraordinary forces, it could still happen. You shouldn't blame yourself for that. You didn't hurt her on purpose. You are not a bad person.” He continued, stroking her back with his wide hand. “Whatever people say, you're a flesh-and-blood Mandalorian. You care about the fate of your people, you care about rebuilding what has been destroyed-that's a good cause. I believe your goals are possible. I believe you can achieve whatever you want. But most importantly,” he stopped, brushing his lips against her hair. “I believe in you.”

“Father–” her voice cracked a little and Adonai heard her unstable breath. “Father…”

“ _ K'uur _ ,” he muttered softly and she inhaled deeply. She was still clinging to him with all her might and didn't seem to want to stop, so he continued. “And about the loss… Ah, a loss is an integral part of life. Of our existence. You must remember that even when we are no longer with you, we will always remain in your heart. In your memory.  _ Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum _ .”

There was silence. The only sound was single sniffles from Satine. After a while, the young woman moved away from her father and looked up at him with shining blue eyes.

“Do you think that Bo would like to… You know...”

“You're her sister, Satine.” Adonai smiled slightly at the uncertainty in his firstborn's voice. “She loves you. Even if she says otherwise. It's not too late to mend your relationship.”

“Perhaps.” Satine bit her lower lip lightly, then gave her father a small smile. “Thank you, Father.”

“For what?” Adonai raised his eyebrows, an innocent expression on his face. Satine made a short sound like a snort. “I love you  _ ad'ika _ .” He said suddenly and leaned in to kiss her forehead. “ _ Ratiin _ .”

“ _ Ratiin, buir _ .”

**x x x x x**

Rivett stood in front of the ship's ramp at Adonai's side, watching their two daughters facing her and her husband.

Satine-with her back straight, palms folded in front of her, a neutral expression on her pale face.

Bo-Katan-in an almost combat position, careful, with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.

Rivett gave her younger daughter a critical look. Bo-Katan looked into her eyes and for a moment they stood without saying a word, fighting for the stares.

“Really, Bo-Katan.” Rivett took a deep breath. “You look like a little child who has been taken a piece of cake from under their nose.”

“And not just any cake,” Adonai added, watching them with amusement. “But chocolate cake with a yogan fruit.”

“If I remember correctly, we were going to spend the evening together.” She said finally, giving her father a hard stare. “But I understand, duty first, family second.”

With an unchanging grimace on her face, she walked over to Rivett and Adonai and locked them in the embrace she used to do whenever their parents left the planet.

“You’re my duty too,  _ ad’ika _ ,” Adonai said, ruffling Bo-Katan’s hair. “But you’re a big girl, so you know that some things are not to be delayed.”

Bo-Katan scoffed, rolling her eyes and swatting his hand away. “Have a nice journey,” she said in a slightly softer voice, moving away from them. “I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast.”

“Of course, my dear,” Adonai said with a small smile.

Rivett smiled at her younger daughter and then looked at her older child. Satine still stood upright, but the trained mother's eye noticed the slightest changes in the child's behaviour, which was why Rivett looked down at her daughter's hands. Satine nervously touched the bracelets around her wrists. At her mother's questioning gaze, she took a deep breath. “Do you have to go?”

It was definitely not the question Rivett was expecting. Adonai must have been surprised as well, as he looked at Satine with raised eyebrows. “We'll be at the palace tomorrow morning, Satine.” He said calmly and tilted his head. “Something happened?”

Satine continued to touch her bracelets nervously. She opened her mouth and looked as though she was about to say something, but at the last moment, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at her sister standing next to her, then looked at both parents and shook her head, curving her lips into a barely visible smile.

“No.” Rivett thought her daughter's smile looked particularly sad and promised herself that she would talk to her the next day. Satine looked at her father, then at her mother, and spoke softly. “ _ K'oyacyi _ .”

“Of course.” Adonai kissed Satine's forehead, and Rivett gave her a quick hug. “See you tomorrow,  _ ade _ !”

With one last smile at their daughters, they turned on their heels and boarded the ship with two guards behind them.

**x x x x x**

The route to Concordia was not very long, but even a short trip could make the traveller bored to death. To kill this boredom, Rivett always took datapads with her to be able to read holobooks or view holonet.

Adonai, on the other hand, usually dealt with the analysis of contracts, plans, speeches and other things closely related to his position, so they rarely had the opportunity to talk during the flight.

Yet, they could just sit in total silence next to each other and be as comfortable as in the middle of a peaceful evening. So she was a little surprised when she heard her husband's calm, deep voice saying something to her.

“ _ Cyar'ika _ .” Rivett looked away from her datapad, glancing up at him from under raised eyebrows. “Have you seen the datapad with mine network plans? I swear it was somewhere there.”

“I have not seen,” Rivett smirked. “But I'll go looking for it. You know that if I do it, I will find it immediately,” she added, then got up from her seat. “And I assure you that your datapad is not  _ here _ .”

“I envy your talent, Riv,” he replied with a knowing grin. “And thank you, dear.”

Adonai rarely used the abbreviation of her name, but when he did, Rivett instantly felt sudden warm flooding all over her body. Her  _ riduur _ could improve her mood like no other. She slowly approached him and leaned over his shoulder. “I'll be right back.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. “You can count the time.”

She flashed him a smile and walked deeper into the ship to check the datapad shelf. She looked through them one by one, tapping her fingers on their screen to see what their titles were. Only the sixth one turned out to be the right one. She picked it up.

“I found it!” She said loudly with a smile, putting the rest of the datapads in their place with her free hand. “Did you count how long it takes me?”

She turned towards the cockpit. However, she did not get a reply from her husband. She took one step, and suddenly the whole ship shook violently. Rivett lost her balance and crashed into one of the walls. An alarm sounded in the machine.

“What's happening?!” she screamed to the three men.

“We’ve been shot!” came Adonai’s reply.

And suddenly the ship began to lean forward.

**x x x x x**

Shortly after her parents had left, Satine stood in her bedroom getting ready to take a bath. She took off her clothes one by one and put on a light bathrobe. She sat on the bed next to the nightstand and with a few neat movements, she unhooked two bracelets from her wrists and placed them on the bedside table.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Removing the Force-suppressing bracelets from the wrists was never a pleasant experience, and Satine always had to sit still for a few moments, battling the sudden discomfort that came with the Force flowing back through her body. 

She used to be sick. Sometimes she was struck by a sudden, dull headache. However, usually, her fingers felt stabbing and her heart beat faster.

But worst of all was the buzzing in her ears, some vague voice disturbing her thoughts, trying to contact her in some way. 

Satine has never been able to control what the Force was trying to convey to her. She couldn't understand the signals, and moments, when she felt a sudden unease for some strange reason, made her always try to put the bracelets back on as soon as possible. 

Then she could pretend to live a normal life. 

Satine sighed, opening her eyes and getting up from the bed. She stepped into the refresher and stood in front of the mirror, gripping the sides of the sink tightly. 

A few minutes had passed since she took off her jewellery, and she could still feel her heart beating rapidly. When she looked at the surface of the mirror, she was stared at by a reflection whose eyes were filled with fear. Just like last night. 

Satine didn't know exactly what she was afraid of. After dinner with her parents, where they announced that the next day they would be flying to Concordia, when she went to the refresher, it felt as if the Force was trying to warn her about something. A feeling of dread pushed through her mind, squeezing her throat.

Satine hoped with all her heart that it wasn't a warning she had so completely ignored. 

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her robe off her shoulders and stepped into the shower.

Even the sound of the water could not drown out the buzzing in her ears that accompanied her with every movement. Satine irritatedly washed her hair quickly, rinsed it thoroughly, and within minutes she was standing in the middle of the refresher with a towel wrapped around her body and a hairdryer in her other hand. 

Drying the hair was not that easy due to its length. As Satine tossed her blonde, wet locks on her back, it reached her waist. After a few minutes of drying, they began to gently twirl at the tips, shortening their length to the waist. It was the longest hair in her life, grown during her education on Coruscant, where she always used to do all kinds of hairstyles, so it never bothered her.

But now, when she stood sideways to the mirror and looked closely at her reflection, she decided it was high time to cut it down.

“You look like a damsel in distress.” She muttered to herself, wrapping one strand of hair around her slender finger. “Why give Bo another reason to hate?”

Satine had to admit she talked a lot to herself. She did not remember when the habit had arisen, but in the years when she was alone-and most of her days passed like that-she was chatting with herself, humming the songs she had heard in the holoradio, or reading aloud.

It felt weird that her own voice brought her comfort. Quite opposite to the voice heard somewhere in the recesses of her mind, which tried to break through to her consciousness every time she removed her bracelets from her wrists. 

She put on her nightgown, wrapped herself in a robe, and left the room, picking up a hairbrush from a dresser on the way. 

Before she got to bed, however, she was struck by a sudden, sharp headache. A feeling so penetrating that shapes strangely resembling a starry sky appeared before her eyes. 

Satine doubled over, feeling her heart beating faster and faster in her chest, humming heard in her ears, gasping for breath, as if someone had just kicked her in the chest with all their might. 

She leaned over the bed, her open palms resting on the sheets, and slowly sat down on the mattress, gripping the brush firmly in one hand, and gripping fingers of her other hand tightly on the sheets until her knuckles turned white. 

She took a deep, shuddering breath.

Something was pressing against her mind. She felt stress. Fear. Horror. Desperation. 

A voice in her head was calling her. It screamed.

And suddenly everything went quiet.

The source of her malaise vanished as if she had just put on her bracelets. 

But she was not relieved. It felt as if something was missing. An inexplicable feeling of emptiness flooded her entire. She closed her eyes, fighting sudden nausea. After a dozen or so seconds it passed.

Satine took a deep breath and slowly began brushing her hair. 

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan sat wrapped in a blanket on the sill of her favourite window, datapad in hand and a mug of warm tea on the table next to her. It was already dark outside, the stars shed their light on the Mandalore, and the dim lights of the lamps lit up her room. 

It was the third time she read the paragraph in her Galactic History holobook about the rise of the Republic, but she couldn't concentrate at all on the walls of the text that stretched before her eyes.

She sighed irritably. The Academy's final exams were fast approaching, and Bo-Katan didn't feel any better prepared than a week and two weeks earlier. 

She put the datapad on her lap, gripped the cup in her hands, and leaned back against the wall, looking out the window at the garden.

At night it was lit only by tiny white lamps hanging under the treetops. From a distance, they looked like the large fireflies that Bo-Katan had seen years earlier while camping in the woods of Concordia. 

Concordia was also visible from where Bo-Katan was sitting. In the distance, the outline of a moon was just a circle no bigger than the ring their mother wore. 

Bo-Katan stared at that point, sipping her tea slowly and wondering what her parents were doing now.

_ Have they already arrived? Maybe they were having dinner? Maybe they were at some meeting? _

Bo-Katan felt strange not hearing from her mother that evening. Rivett always gave her some sign when they arrived at their destination, and that evening, exceptionally she did not speak.

She glanced at the communicator on the table, but there was no new message.

She put down the datapad and teacup and rose from the windowsill. She walked to the door leading from her room to the garden and opened it, letting in the cool spring air.

Hoping that a bit of fresh air would help her learn, she walked over the threshold and out onto one of the marble paths leading to the centre of the garden. 

She walked among the plants for a few minutes, looking at the flowers and bushes, then at the sky. 

Suddenly she heard the distinctive sound of her communicator and hurried back inside. She grabbed the device in her hand and checked it quickly, sighing as she saw that it was just a message from Pre.

“I'm waiting outside your room.” - it said.

Bo-Katan frowned, but without delay left her room. She immediately noticed the tall silhouette of Pre, with his back to her, talking to... She couldn't see the person exactly. Pre effectively covered them, but when she leaned out a little, she immediately recognized their Prime Minister, and a close friend of the Duke, Crach Amis.

Her heart beat a little faster.

“Pre?” Both men looked at her with equally unreadable expressions. “Prime Minister.” She bowed her head in greeting, and the man did the same. “What is the reason for this sudden visit?”

Pre and Crach Amis looked at each other. A second or two passed, and finally, Pre looked at her and spoke in a calm voice.

“Can we talk in your room?”

“Yes...” she looked suspiciously at the Prime Minister, but he bowed his head and turned to the other side with quiet words of farewell. “Come with me.”

Bo-Katan took his hand and after a while, they disappeared behind the closed door of her room.

**x x x x x**

Satine was just finishing her holobook of Nabooian poetry when she heard some conversation outside her door. She frowned and set the datapad aside. She got out of bed, wrapped her robe around her figure, and walked to the door just as there was a knock. 

She touched a panel on the wall and after a moment the door swung open with a soft hum. However, absolutely nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the Prime Minister standing in her family's apartment at that hour. 

“Lady Satine,” Crach Amis said in a deep voice, leaning forward in a smooth half-bow. “Forgive me for disturbing you at such a late hour, but this case couldn't wait.”

Satine stared at the older man with obvious surprise on her face. As he lifted his head and met her eyes, she swore his brown irises glistened in the dim light cast over her room.

“Come in,” Satine spoke after a moment, stepping aside and letting the Prime Minister inside. The door closed behind him, and Satine gestured to an armchair in the corner of the room. “Please sit down.”

“Oh, no, my lady,” He denied, suddenly running a hand through the storm of thick, greying brown hair. “Sit down, I'll stand.”

Satine sat down in the armchair, crossed her legs, and straightened her back in a pose just as proud as the unusual circumstances of the conversation would allow, then nodded. 

Prime Minister Amis took a deep breath, and Satine had the impression that even as he glanced in her direction, his eyes were not at all focused on her, but on some point behind her. She began to worry.

“Milady,” He finally said in a voice that sounded almost apologetic. “An hour ago, in the airspace of Concordia, there was registered a ship accident...”

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan looked at Pre with wide green eyes. Suddenly, the lack of contact from her mother made perfect sense.  _ Accident _ . Her parents had an  _ accident _ ...

“But...” she said hoarsely after a moment. “What happened?” She asked, fear clearly audible in her voice. “What about my parents? Are they alright?”

“On my way back to the Mandalore...” Pre began, ignoring her question. “A friend of mine who works at the Concordia air traffic control tower called me. He said they had answered a call from Duke Adonai a few minutes earlier.”

**x x x x x**

Satine felt her heart beating loudly. She was looking at Crach Amis, Crach Amis was looking at her.

With sadness. With compassion. With pity.

She didn’t like it at all.

“Duke Adonai said their ship was shot down,” he said slowly. “That they were starting to fall and they needed help.”

Satine couldn't breathe. It was as if the air was passing through her nose, her mouth, and it was limping somewhere along the way, never reaching her lungs.

“We sent a rescue team immediately,” he said. “They tried to track them to catch the ship in the magnetic field, but… When the team got to the place indicated by the transmitter, the forest was already on fire and the ship…”

**x x x x x**

“I saw holos,” Pre said in a gentle, quiet voice. “The ship broke up like a glass figurine after falling from a few meters. Nothing left of it. Everything fell apart.”

“But... What about the escape pods? Jetpacks?” she walked over to him, staring into his eyes as intensely as if she were to read the answer to her question in them. “They used them, right?”

Pre took a deep breath.

**x x x x x**

Crach Amis paused for a moment as if searching for the right words to say. 

Satine stared at him intently, her hands clasped tightly in her lap to stop them from shaking. 

“We don't know why, but the escape pods didn't work.” the Prime Minister confessed after a while. “We found no jetpacks in the wreckage of the ship. The only intact part was the black boxes. We will learn more from them, they are being analyzed.”

“Prime Minister,” Satine began in a soft voice. “What about...”

She paused. He understood what she was asking. 

He opened his mouth. 

And in a moment he closed it, choking a sob.

**x x x x x**

“Pre!” Bo-Katan cut him off, catching his face between her hands and giving him a sharp look. “What happened to my parents?”

“Bo…”

“Are they alive?” She asked him, forcing him to meet her eyes. “Tell me they are okay...”

Pre grasped her hands, taking them from his cheeks and squeezed them gently. His eyes said it all. 

“I'm so sorry, Bo…”

**x x x x x**

Satine watched and waited. And waited. And waited a moment longer.

Finally, the Prime Minister took his hand off his face, combed it through his hair, and when he opened his eyes, one tear ran down his bearded cheek. 

“I’m sorry, lady Satine,” He said his voice breaking. “Nobody survived this catastrophe.”

Satine was still looking at him. She looked. And blinked.

A single tear fell on her cool hand.

**x x x x x**

“No...” she wailed, pressing her fingers into his arms. “No!”

Pre looked at her, not saying a word.

Bo-Katan shook her head violently.

“No...” She released him and turned to the door. She stopped by the dresser. “You're lying.”

“I would never lie to you, Bo.”

Suddenly a desperate sob came out of her throat. 

She slapped her hands on the dresser with all her strength.

“NO!”

**x x x x x**

Satine startled suddenly as she heard her sister’s scream from behind the wall. 

Something stung her chest painfully.

Her pale hands tightened on the fabric of her robe. Silent tears still ran down her face one by one. 

They fell onto her shirt and slowly sunk into its fabric.

“Milady,” The Prime Minister spoke softly, and Satine suddenly remembered his presence. “I know that you do not think about it now, but your father anointed you as his successor.” The Prime Minister added gently, but in a matter-of-fact tone. “At the last meeting of the clans, the heads of the families agreed, mostly, to your candidacy” 

“Prime Minister...” Satine began in a cold voice, closing her eyes. “Forgive me, but I don't have the strength for that now.”

“Of course, lady Satine...” He broke off and cleared his throat. “Or rather, Your Highness.”

Satine opened her eyes, staring at him. Crach Amis bowed in response, and when he straightened again, a smile more like a grimace but full of compassion appeared on his face.

“My sincere condolences.”

A few seconds and he was gone. 

Satine clenched her hands and somewhere on the dresser, a vase broke. The coat fell off the hanger. The window burst open, hitting a flower pot that fell to the floor, breaking into dozens of pieces.

**x x x x x**

“Get out of here, Pre,” Bo-Katan growled over her shoulder, still leaning heavily against the dresser. “I want to be alone.”

“Bo–”

“ _ Slana'py! _ ”

The man stared at her for a moment and wordlessly left her room, leaving her alone. Bo-Katan took a flowerpot with a Mandalorian lily in her hands and threw it against the wall with all her strength. Pieces of the pot flew in all directions. 

**x x x x x**

Satine has lost track of time. It was still night outside. Her room was, even more, a mess, and some unknown pain pressed her temples. She felt throbbing in her fingers. She wanted to destroy everything, to vent her anger.

She was about to lift another vase–

“Satine?”

Bo-Katan's voice sounded extremely weak, almost childish, helpless. Satine walked to the door and leaned against it.

“ _ Gedet'ye _ . I know you are in there,” and after a while, she added. “Let me in.” 

Satine rested her forehead against the cool surface of the door. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the opening panel. She could do it. She could let her sister in.

But then she remembered what she had done. She looked at the destruction overwhelming her room. 

“Satine,” she began with a broken voice. “We only have each other. It’s just you and me.” She choked on a sob. 

Satine put her hand to her mouth and slid down the door to the floor. She tucked her knees up to her chest, watching the mess with her eyes welled with tears. She couldn't let her in. She was out of control.

“ _ Vod _ ,” Bo-Katan said, almost in a whisper. “Sister.”

Satine hid her face in her arms and began to cry silently.

_ I'm sorry Bo,  _ she thought sadly _. You won't be safe with me.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a dictionary:  
> ratiin - always  
> aliit - family  
> riduur - husband, wife, partner  
> ade - daughters  
> ori'suumyc - outrageous  
> Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum. - I'm alive though you're dead. I remember you so you are eternal.  
> K'oyacyi - take care of yourself  
> Slana'pir - get out!  
> Gedet'ye - please


	4. when you're gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are discovered, some things are planned, and the coronation is fast approaching. Two sisters still don't talk, and the ally is not necessarily an ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Before this chapter, I have something to share with you. Tor and Tal are twin brothers. Tal is OC. Where did the idea for the name come from? Well, they both have three letters + Tor in Mando'a means justice and Tal means blood. Is it possible to have a more Mandalorian name??? XD

Three days passed, after which Satine found herself in the conference room, accompanied by her mother's brother and several members of the palace guard.

“Are you sure that's what you want, _vodu'ad?_ ” Her uncle–Varus Beroya–made an extremely unfavourable first impression. His voice was rough and hoarse, but it matched his clean-shaven face, marked with numerous scars, including one through his left eye. His hair–once red, now grey, with a few fiery strands–was tied back in a tight ponytail just above his nape. 

And her uncle, despite supporting their father in his quest to change the violent way of life of the Mandalorians, never gave up his fighting spirit and always wore his  _ beskar'gam _ . A well-used, scratched and repeatedly battered  _ beskar'gam _ , which has been handed down to the eldest son in the family for several generations. 

A person who did not know him might say that he had the appearance of a typical bandit. But beneath all that halo was a caring family man. Now Varus looked at Satine with his blue, watchful eyes under heavy lids, completely ignoring the few other people in the room.

Satine took a deep breath, nodding slightly. “Yes,  _ ba'vodu _ .” Her voice didn't even tremble, though it lacked confidence. “I need to know what happened there. I need to hear it.”

“So be it.” Varus set his helmet on the table and turned to his niece, then placed two large hands on both of her shoulders. “Look at me,  _ Sat'ika _ .” Satine met his eyes, though quickly all her attention was absorbed by the long scar that cut across his eyelid. “Honestly, I will tell you that it's hard to listen to. If it's too much for you, say it. I'll understand.” 

“ _ Vor entye _ .” Satine nodded slightly and turned to face the large, round table. “But I'm sure I can handle it.”

He gave her one, long look, then turned to one of the guards. “Leer, no need to wait, turn on the recording.” 

There was a few noises and crackles in the room. Satine's heart beat faster, and she began to subconsciously play with the bracelets around her wrists.

After a few seconds, her mother's voice was heard.

“ _ I found it! Did you count how long it takes me? _ ”

Satine's heart skipped a beat as she heard Rivett's smooth, amused voice. And then...

Then there was a loud bang and an alarm started wailing in the recording. “ _ What’s happening?! _ ” Rivett shouted.

“ _ We’ve been shot! _ ” was Adonai’s reply.

Then chaos broke out on the recording. Satine listened to her mother's nervous voice shouting at her father. Then there was a nervous exchange between their father and the cousins-guards they took on board. 

Satine glanced at her uncle out of the corner of her eye and noticed that he was watching her closely, a concerned expression on his tired face. She nodded slightly, letting her uncle know that everything was fine, even if she felt her throat tighten with each second listening to the recording documenting the last moments of her parents’ lives. 

“ _ There are no jetpacks anywhere, Adonai! _ ” 

Satine immediately recognized one of her mother's cousins. 

“ _ How is that possible, Coyet? _ ” her father's tense voice rang out. “ _ A ship should not be allowed to fly without jetpacks! _ ”

“ _ We don't know, Adonai, _ ” the other man shouted back, Satine recognized his voice. Coyet's brother–Navar. “ _ We checked it in the morning and it was fully equipped! _ ”

Satine knew what that meant. Someone took jetpacks from the ship, someone allowed an accident, someone  _ killed her parents _ .

“ _ I can't control the controllers! _ ” Adonai shouted in desperation. “ _ Get the escape pods ready. We have to evacuate! _ ”

“ _ Adonai! _ ” then Rivett spoke. “ _ Pods don't work, they won't turn on! _ ”

“ _ Rangir _ !” Adonai cursed loudly. There were a few squeaks from the computer. “ _ This is Adonai Kryze. We were shot down. We need help! _ ”

For several dozen seconds, her father had an exuberant conversation with the man in the Concordia air traffic control tower. Suddenly there was a roar again, the alarm began to howl louder.

“ _ We're getting close to the surface! _ ” Navar shouted desperately. “ _ We will crash! _ ”

“ _ No! _ ” Coyet shouted back, and his loud footsteps were heard on the metal floor of the ship. “ _ Be prepared, it’ll be rough! _ ”

“ _ Coyet, we'll hit the surface in about a minute! _ ”

“ _ I will not allow it, Navar! _ ”

“ _ Adonai... _ ” 

Satine flinched as she heard her mother's soft voice almost lost under the constant wail of the alarm. She sounded so...

“ _ Rivett– _ ” 

“ _ Adonai, they’ll not get to us in time! _ ”

“ _ Rivett... _ ” Adonai's voice, though firm and loud, was filled with fear. “ _ It's not time yet– _ ”

“ _The ancestors are calling us,_ _cyare_.” the calmness in her mother's voice terrified Satine, who crossed her arms over her chest, digging her fingers into her thin arms. “ _It's time._ ”

“ _ Ade _ –”

“ _ We have to believe in them. _ ” Rivett's voice was almost a whisper now, and if one of the guards hadn't turned up the recording, Satine wouldn't have known what her mother was saying. “ _ I believe in them. They will find a way to each other. _ ”

“ _ Vercopa. _ ” Adonai replied just as softly.

“ _ We’ll crash! _ ” Navar shouted. “ _ Oh my–! _ ”

“ _ Rivett _ ,” Adonai said in a low, calm voice. “ _ Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum. _ ”

“ _ Darasuum _ ,  _ Adonai. _ ”

And then there was a loud bang. 

The ship hit the ground and began to roll, and the sound it made sent shivers down Satine's body.

Someone pressed a button and there was silence in the room.

“ _ Vodu'ad _ .” Varus began after a moment of silence. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Satine replied honestly and turned to the door. “Forgive me.”

She left the room without looking back. 

**x x x x x**

The dark room in the far side of Sundari Palace was lit only by the faint blue glow of a holoprojector, at the centre of which was the tall, well-built figure of a man with close-cropped black hair and a determined expression on his face. 

“Pre,” He said in a deep voice. “How is the situation developing?”

“The palace guards still don't know what happened.” Pre replied with a slightly raised corner of his mouth, then huffed under his breath. “A bunch of morons.”

“ _ Osi'yaime _ .” Tal Vizsla growled, his mouth twisting into a smile under his nose that looked like it had been broken multiple times and not necessarily healed properly. “Imagine that someone pays them for their job.”

“You know,  _ ba'vodu _ .” Pre looked at him with a satisfied smile on his lips, chuckling. “Maybe I'm just so brilliant that I leave no traces behind.”

Tal looked at his nephew with a frown. “Pride can ruin even the best warrior, just like it ruined your father.”

Pre looked at his uncle sceptically. Tor Vizsla had died four years earlier as a result of a duel with Jango Fett, whom Pre hated with equal passion as he hated Satine Kryze and her pacifism. However, his father was not at all proudful, he was a real warrior, caring for traditions. And so Pre told Tal.

“You're young and you don't know life well yet, Pre,” He muttered grimly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Over time, you will learn that pride can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.” He eyed his nephew up and down and after a long moment, he added in a sharp voice. “Or you will not.” 

Pre pursed his lips but didn't answer. Tal looked at him intensely for several more seconds, then took a deep breath and began speaking again.

“I have another assignment for you.” Tal unfolded his arms and rested them on what was probably a desk. He started looking at something between his hands and, without lifting his head, continued. “I got my hands on something  _ very _ interesting.” the corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Private journal of the late Adonai Kryze. Interesting stuff, he wrote there, you know?”

“Care to share?”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Uncle looked at him with amusement. “You can't know too much. But let me tell you one thing. You need to get closer to Lady Satine.”

“Get  _ closer _ ?” Pre looked at his uncle, eyes wide with surprise. “But... Bo-Katan…”

“Young and in love, eh?” Tal shook his head, his mouth curving into a bigger smile. “I didn't mean that closeness,  _ vodu'ad _ . Recall the last time you saw our future Duchess, Pre. Did you notice anything weird?”

“That she doesn’t wear  _ beskar'gam _ ?”

“New Mandalorians don’t wear  _ beskar'game _ ,” Tal snorted, shaking his head. “But close.”

Pre frowned, thinking deeply, but nothing came to his mind. After a few long seconds, he looked back at the older man, shaking his head.

“Her wrists,” Tal answered calmly. “Our Duchess wears two bracelets on her wrists which, according to her father's journals, are very important to her.” 

“How so?”

“It doesn't matter.” Tal waved his hand. “The essential thing is that you get these bracelets. You can take them, swap them, destroy them–whatever. The Duchess is not to have them at her coronation. Understand?”

“Yes, but…” Pre began hesitantly and cleared his throat. “How do I do that?” Uncle shot him a questioning look, so Pre continued. “She always wears them. Should I rip them right off her wrists?” he asked in a slightly sarcastic tone. 

“Oh, glorious ancestors, boy.” Tal shook his head and ran a hand through his thick black hair with a scarred hand. “You're close to Lady Bo-Katan, right?” Pre nodded his head uncertainly. “So take advantage of the fact your  _ cyare _ is related to the Duchess and you will find a way.”

“It's an impossible task.” Pre snapped, folding his arms over his chest. “I won't go into her room unnoticed. And when would I do it?”

“Before the coronation,” Tal repeated sharply. “This will be your test, Pre.  _ Ne shabiir. _ ”

**x x x x x**

The week after the accident had passed quickly, or so felt Bo-Katan, who spent her days devoting herself to training until she could not stand up and was overwhelmed by fatigue.

Then she would come back to the room, eat, and go to sleep. Or rather, she’d lay long hours in her bed, having nightmares and memories of her parents. In her entire life, she had not cried as many tears as in those seven days.

Satine didn't speak to her even once. They didn't even see each other. Bo-Katan only heard her sister leave or return to her room. Sometimes on the other side of the apartment, she heard a crack or a thump that Bo-Katan knew perfectly well.

She looked at the chest of drawers where vases and flower pots had once stood, and now the top was empty, for all these things had long been lying in pieces at the bottom of the garbage dump, destroyed by her in a sudden rush of emotions.

Bo-Katan took a deep breath and looked at the mannequin standing by the door to her room. There was a  _ beskar'gam _ on it and not just any  _ beskar’gam _ , but the special one, given to her by uncle Varus the day before.

“ _ Bo'ika _ .” He said. “ _ This beskar'gam belonged to your grandmother and later to your mother when she was your age. I wish you would get it under such circumstances, but you must know that you may be in danger and this armour may save your life. _ ”

Bo-Katan flinched at the mere mention of the conversation she had with Varus Boreya. Even though the man was her favourite family member, and apparently Bo-Katan was his favourite as well, nothing could have made that conversation more enjoyable.

The conclusion from it was clear. Her parents had been  _ murdered  _ and security had no idea who could have done it. 

Bo-Katan felt a pang of anger. How incompetent were people who surrounded her when they couldn't figure out who was in the hangar on the day her parents left for Concordia?

However, anger quickly turned to sadness. A week had passed since Adonai and Rivett Kryze died, and their funeral was due today. Bo-Katan didn't feel ready to go there, but time was pressing on her, so she threw a black cloak over her shoulders and left her room, her guards few steps behind.

**x x x x x**

Satine stared blankly at the two urns containing her parents' ashes, which were about to be lowered into their tomb in the Sundari Palace catacombs. 

It was dark in the room. The only source of light was the torches held by the guards standing on both sides of the tomb and at the exit of the chamber. 

However, there was no silence. 

Satine's eyes stung as a small choir of one woman and two men began to sing the traditional Mandalorian funeral song. Their voices matched perfectly. They perfectly reflected everything Satine felt at that moment.

Her anger. Her suffering. Her grief.

_ ni nu kyr'adyc _

She wanted to believe it.

_ ni oyacyi olar juaan gar _

_ shi o'r a nuarra paru _

So why did she feel so lonely?

_ haa'taylir par ni o'r gar kar'ta _

How to look into something you don't feel?

_ bal ogir gar kelir mar'eyir ni _

_ o'r cuun kar'taylir darasuum ibac oyacyir bat _

Satine squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears that accumulated at the corners. Miraculously she kept her mouth from trembling. She tried to keep her back straight without losing her firm posture, and she seemed to be succeeding.

There was a silence then and Satine took a deep breath as the podium with the two urns began to descend to the floor. She blinked a few more times, dispelling the tears in her eyes, and lifted her chin proudly, staring directly at the tombstone.

Duke Adonai Kryze and Duchess Rivett Kryze of Clan Beroya 

“ _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la._ _Vi kelir urcir tug'yc._ ”

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan walked the palace corridors with her guards not far behind, encountering no one in her path except a few more guards patrolling the corridors. She hadn't seen Satine since the funeral was over, and Pre also disappeared shortly after the ceremony, which hurt her because she didn't want to be alone now. 

“Bo!” she heard Pre's voice, and still feeling a bit ashamed of how she had treated him a week before, she suddenly changed her mind, not wanting to engage in the conversation. But he was just as stubborn as her, and so he continued. “Bo, can we talk?”

“Is it important?” She asked him, turning her head toward him and raising an eyebrow. “Because if it can wait, I'd rather talk another day.”

“It is very important.” Pre looked at her pleadingly. “Please.”

Bo-Katan took a deep breath and then nodded. She put her hand to the reader and the door swung open with a soft hum. She waved her hand towards the living room and Pre walked over the threshold just behind her. “Fine.” she agreed quietly. “What’s the matter?” 

“Bo, it's about your parents,” Pre said slowly and Bo-Katan winced slightly as she wrapped her black cloak closer to herself. “And your sister.”

Bo-Katan looked up quickly, giving him a questioning and somewhat sharp look. 

“I don't know how to tell you this, but…” He took a deep breath, not meeting her eyes. “I think your sister may be responsible for the death of your parents.”

Bo-Katan stared at him with eyes wide open, visibly shocked. It took a few seconds for her face to twist in a fury reflected in her furrowed brow and tightly clenched teeth. “What did you say?” She drawled, looking at him angrily.

“I know what that sounds like, but…”

“No, no, you don't!” Bo-Katan growled, waving her arms violently. “You do not know anything! How can you say that?”

“Bo, you must have noticed…” he said slowly. “You saw her at the funeral. She stood as stiff as a statue. Without emotion, she didn't even cry as the urns were rummaged underground.”

“We don’t know that, we didn’t see her face,” She snapped, recalling the image of her sister hiding all the time under the enormous hood of a cloak as black as the one on Bo-Katan's shoulders. “And I don't know how she felt because Satine  _ doesn't talk to me _ !” 

“You don't find it suspicious?” Pre insisted, meeting her eyes. “Don't you think that's not the way a child should act while burying their parents?”

“Satine has never been effusive.” She said simply, pressing her lips tightly together. “At least she hadn't been since she turned away from me.” She added in a voice full of regret. “But to say things like that... Do you have any evidence?”

“No, but…”

“So be quiet!” Bo-Katan cut him off sharply. “I just got back from my parents' funeral. I'm devastated, I'm mourning, and you come here as if nothing had happened, and instead to comfort me, to say something nice, just  _ be here _ for me, you throw baseless accusations towards my sister!”

Her outburst surprised Pre a bit, and Bo-Katan noticed something strange in his eyes, some flash of misunderstanding, which only made her more annoyed.

“ _ Cyar'ika _ .” He began in a gentle tone, trying to touch her face with his hand, but Bo-Katan shook his hand away. “Forgive me.” 

“Go away, Pre.” Bo-Katan shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don't want to see you today.”

She turned abruptly and moved quickly to her room, disappearing in it after several seconds. She leaned against the door, staring blankly out the window. 

Pre had upset her so much. When she needed so desperately someone to be next to her, someone who would give her a little affection and understanding, he had to ruin it by saying such things.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst thing was that Bo-Katan, after spending a few minutes in silence, caught herself analyzing her sister's behaviour carefully and was shocked to discover that she wasn't so sure about her innocence anymore.

But she was stubbornly sticking to one thought. Satine wouldn't do that. She loved their parents.

_ Didn’t she _ ?

**x x x x x**

Pre Vizsla paced around his room, hands clasped behind his back and irritation painted across his face.

In the New Mandalorian custom, the new ruler was crowned on the third day after the previous ruler's funeral, which meant Pre had less and less time to devise a way to steal the future Duchess's bracelets.

He winced at the mere thought, and his discontent was only fueled by the great mistake he had made in starting  _ that _ conversation with Bo-Katan.

The plan was originally different. Pre was convinced that Bo had more negative feelings about his sister, especially after the week of rejection Satine had served to her younger grieving sister, but  _ no _ .

The moment Bo-Katan stood up for Satine was a personal failure for Pre. For so long he tried to turn Bo-Katan against Satine, in all subtle ways he tried to convince her that Satine was not worth attention and worry and it all for nothing.

Pre stopped abruptly and exhaled loudly through his nose.

Bo-Katan hadn't spoken to him for two days, and tomorrow the new Duchess's coronation ceremony would take place. 

His uncle's words still rattled in Pre's mind that the mission to collect the bracelets was his trial, his test, and although Pre did not know why his uncle cared so much for two pieces of clan jewellery, he was not going to disappoint the man who had been like a father to him for four years. 

That's when Pre got an idea. He turned sharply on his heels and almost ran out of his room, racing down the long corridor to the other end of the palace.

He entered the part of the building where the employees lived and accosted a young woman who was walking towards him. 

“Excuse me,” He smiled politely, speaking in a gentle voice. “I'm looking for those responsible for the coronation of Lady Satine.” 

“Something happened?”

“Oh no.” He replied, waving his hand. “The future Duchess has asked me to take care of a few things before tomorrow.”

“Oh.” The woman looked at him sceptically, but after a while, she gave in to his pleas. “They work in the room at the end of the corridor.” She pointed her hand behind her. “Large door on the right.”

“ _ Vor'e _ !” Pre bowed his head in a gesture of farewell and ran along the corridor, quickly reaching the door mentioned by the woman. He put his hand to the reader and after a moment the door opened, revealing an empty room in the centre of which stood a mannequin clad in an elaborate blue and grey dress with silver accents.

Pre grimaced at the sight of the garment so mismatched with the traditional coronation garments of the past but turned his head sharply at the sound of someone else's voice.

“ _ Su'cuy _ .” Said a petite blonde with brown eyes, eyeing Pre with an exploring gaze. “How can I help you?”

“ _ Su'cuy _ .” Pre replied politely and walked slowly to the dress, looking at it disapprovingly. “This is Lady Satine's coronation outfit?”

“Yes.” The woman smiled, as Pre noted, proudly. “My own design, combining the latest fashion trends and traditional clan colours.” She walked over to the dress and clicked the button that started turning the mannequin. “It'll nicely highlight her eyes, don't you think?”

“Yes.” Pre winced, tilting his head slightly. “Perhaps.”

“Something's wrong?” 

Pre looked away from the dress and glanced at the petite woman, who was watching him with a slight frown. Only now did he notice how sickly she looked. Her skin was even paler than Satine’s, but clearly unhealthy looking, marked with dark circles under her eyes. “What's your name?”

“My name is Daska.”

“Pre, nice to meet you.” He offered her the hand she shook, and even the gesture was gentle, as if without strength. “Have you been working here for long?”

“Almost ten years.” Daska smiled slightly, clearly happy. But she immediately became sad. “I was sewing clothes for Duchess Rivett, and now I have been asked to be the seamstress of our new ruler.”

Pre gritted his teeth, forcing a tight smile.  _ Ruler _ . Even in his mind, it sounded iconoclastic. 

“Forgive me for being bold.” Pre began gently. “But you don't look good. Are you feeling well?”

“Oh yes.” Daska gave him a gentle smile. “Today I have one of the better days.” She added softly. “Even the best in a long time, I’d say.”

Pre sent her a questioning look, which the petite woman took as an invitation to talk because after a while she continued in a warm if a bit weak voice. 

“I have had a genetic disease since I was born.” She said with a smile on her face. “Unfortunately, it cannot be cured, so I had to learn to live with it. It’s not so bad.” She added, looking down at the floor. “Work keeps me sane. They pay well in the palace, and I don't spend all my days feeling sorry for myself and thinking about what will happen and…” She broke off suddenly, smiling shyly. “Sorry, you are the first person I talk to today and so I chatted off.”

“No problem.” Pre looked at her, then cleared his throat. “But I don't have much time, so I'll get to the case I came here with, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Will the Duchess have any jewellery at her coronation?”

“Certainly,” Daska replied enthusiastically, and happiness in her eyes lit up a little her sickly face. She went to the table where she had been sitting earlier. “Here are the earrings.” She pointed to the smaller box. “And here is the diadem.”

“Diadem?”

“Mhm.” Daska nodded her head vigorously. “The same one her mother had at their coronation.”

“And the bracelets?”

“Bracelets?” Daska looked at him with a frown. “Why would she wear bracelets?”

Pre smiled silently, thanking the ancestors for such a wonderful turn of events.

“The Duchess has her favourite bracelets that she never takes off.” He said seriously. “But I'm afraid they won't match this dress.”

“ _ Those _ bracelets?” Daska stared at him wide-eyed and Pre nodded quickly. “ _ Wayii _ ! Lady Satine  _ cannot _ wear them for her coronation.” She put her hand to her mouth, clearly reflecting. “No, no. Those bracelets absolutely do not match. But… if the Duchess is so fond of bracelets, I can give her some softer ones that won't stand out like the bantha in the fathiers herd.”

“It would be great.” Pre smiled broadly,  _ sincerely _ , which the woman replied. “The Duchess will surely be pleased.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a dictionary:  
> vodu'ad - nephew / niece  
> vor entye - thank you   
> rangir - to hell with that  
> vercopa - hope  
> Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum - I will always love you  
> os'yaime - useless  
> ne shabiir - don't fuck up  
> Nu kyr'adyc , shi taab'echaaj'la. - not gone, merely marching away  
> Vi kelir urcir tug'yc - we'll meet again
> 
> The song used in this chapter is a translation of Injete Chesoni's poem. Here's the original:  
> I am not gone  
> I remain here beside you  
> Just in a different form  
> Look for me in your heart  
> And there you will find me  
> in our love which forever lives on


	5. true colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coronation takes place, secrets are revealed, and chaos erupts as Mandalore loses its ruler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that the scene with the stone and the dagger is entirely my invention and that in this work I approach the Mandalorian culture loosely, also creating my own customs, because... who will forbid me? XDDD
> 
> Forgive me if this section is repackaged and doesn't have a good cliffhanger. In the next chapter, we're shifted to the Jedi perspective, and I had to stuff it so it wouldn't take TOO long to get there.

Satine stood in the centre of the platform, looking at the tiny woman with astonishment painted in blue irises and reflected in her slightly open mouth.

“You think I should take off my bracelets?”

Daska had to cock her head hard to look her straight in the eye, and a warm smile lit her pale face as she lifted the box so Satine could get a better look at it.

“Forgive me, my Lady, but the bracelets you are wearing now...” She nodded at her wrists as she spoke. “They absolutely do not match your coronation dress.”

Daska surveyed her figure and Satine studied her reflection in the enormous mirror, then focused on the bracelets around her wrists. In fact, they did not match the delicate, rich dress that hugged her body with the greatest precision. 

She glanced at the box Daska had lifted closer to her face; two delicate, thin bracelets lying in it, that would perfectly harmonize with her earrings and diadem.

_ But _ …

Daska’s persuasiveness was as strong as the fear that something would happen after removing the bracelets.

Satine took a deep breath, while Daska kept giving her this big smile that made her face look healthier.

She looked at her bracelets again. Then back to her reflection until she finally turned her eyes to the jewellery box and took another deep breath, then gave Daska a nervous, gentle smile. “Well then.” She said softly, clenching the fingers of her left hand on her right wrist. “I'll take them off.”

If possible, Daska's smile widened even more, and Satine realized that her mother's ailing seamstress's happiness brought a sincere smile on her face. If she could make Daska happy in such a simple way… She would do it.

With another deep breath, she slowly removed one bracelet. Then the second, and she closed her eyes, feeling the pain that slowly clenched her temples.

“My Lady.” She heard Daska’s worried voice somewhere below. “Are you alright?”

And although Satine wasn't feeling well–as always, when she removed the bracelets from her wrists–she brought a smile to her lips and, breathing deeply through her nose, looked down at the older woman. “Do not worry about me.” She said in a firm but not unpleasant voice. “I'm just nervous about this day.”

“It is understandable, my Lady.” Daska smiled slightly, even though her eyes appeared a little sad. “Duchess Rivett was nervous before the public events even at the end...” Daska paused, unable to meet Satine's eyes any longer, and the later was grateful for that, for she could not bear the sympathetic gaze of the seamstress who had worked for her mother for many years. 

There was a silence in the room, and wordlessly Daska handed Satine one bracelet, then another, and helped her put them on. Finally, she smoothed the fabric around Satine's legs and motioned for Satine to turn fully to the mirror.

“You look beautiful, my Lady,” Daska said in a warm tone. “People of Mandalore should be proud that a person like you will be their ruler.”

Satine caught Daska's brown eyes in the mirror reflection and gave her an equally warm smile, feeling for the first time in a long time a hint of joy. 

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan looked at her  _ beskar'gam _ , feeling a great temptation to throw aside the formal attire that hung before her and put on the armour which felt like a second skin to her. 

However, despite her wild nature, Bo-Katan knew what respect was, and if she was required to dress in line with  _ etiquette– _ funny word, she thought–then she was not going to look like an untamed savage and she put her stubbornness aside, grabbing her clothes in her hands. 

Half an hour earlier, one of the maids had come to help her, but Bo-Katan had only agreed to let her put some light makeup and do some simple hairdo–without any frenzy, _of_ _course_ –insisting that she would dress herself.

It turned out very smoothly and she did not even have time to be irritated that some element did not fit on her or fit her badly. Bo-Katan also had to admit that the outfit she was given–because she refused to wear _the_ _dress_ –was extremely tolerable, even pretty, so seeing it did not make her eyes bleed. 

She looked back in the mirror and, pleased with what she looked like, left her room, walking with the guards along the corridor.

“Bo-Katan!” She shuddered suddenly hearing her full name. She turned her head sharply and noticed with dissatisfaction that Pre was walking towards her. And although she didn't miss how handsome he looked in his Clan-coloured clothes, she was still angry with him, so she raised one eyebrow at him questioningly. “Bo, it's good that I caught you!”

“Hmm.” She hummed, continuing down the corridor. “Are you going to say something about my sister again?”

“No,” Pre replied immediately, then took a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize to you, Bo.” 

She huffed. “Oh, that's new.”

“I'm really sorry, Bo.” He cleared his throat, peering at her out of the corner of his eye. “You're right, I shouldn't have started this topic without hard evidence for my thesis.”

“You're right.” She replied harshly. “You shouldn't have.”

“And I’m  _ really _ sorry about that.” He added and smiled at her. Bo-Katan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, catching that special smile Pre gave her so often and felt the corners of her mouth lift slightly. “ _ Ni ceta _ , Bo.” 

And then Pre fell to his knees in front of her, completely baffling her. Bo-Katan stopped abruptly, and with her the guards following a few paces behind them, and she felt warmth spread over her freckled cheeks.

“What are you doing?” She hissed, still blushing.

“I’m apologizing to you.” Pre replied with a crooked smile. “Will you forgive me?”

“Get up.” She pressed, looking nervously from side to side. “Don't make a scene.”

“Forgive me!”

“Yeah, I do, now get up!” Pre immediately jumped up from the floor, brushed his hands over his robes and gave her another smile. Bo-Katan rolled her eyes. “Why am I even with you?”

“Because you love me.” Pre leaned down and brushed her lips lightly, and Bo-Katan only grunted in response, crossing her arms and muttering something under her breath about  _ absolutely obnoxious men _ . 

**x x x x x**

Satine stood in front of the mirror, carefully examining the face reflected in its surface. Her pale, sharp cheeks were delicately accentuated with makeup, as were her eyes and lids, silvering as soon as she closed them, and her lips pink with the lipstick meant to tone down the pale skin. Her long hair was tied back in a thick braid with white lilies woven into it - a sign of peace, a sign of the new future of her planet and her people.

She stared at the reflection and saw the fear in her eyes and the determination in her pursed lips and thrust out chin.

She heard the door open. 

“My Lady.” Said a respectful mechanical voice. “The hall is full now, all the Clan Heads who confirmed their arrival are already waiting for the ceremony to begin. Your family is also there.”

Satine glanced at the silver protocol droid, CC-8, which had accompanied her father on diplomacy events since she was a little girl and with whom she practically grew up. It was supposed to serve her from today.

“Thank you, See-See,” Satine said politely, giving the droid a grateful look. “Is my sister there yet?”

“Of course, my Lady,” See-See replied quickly. “She was one of the last to arrive, but she is already sitting in her seat.”

“That's good.” Satine took a deep breath and closed her eyes, damping down the buzzing in her ears a bit and calming the overwhelming feeling of the many life forms gathered in the Hall outside the door. “It's only for today.” She muttered, wrapping her fingers around her wrists. “ Conceal. Don’t feel. Put on a show. Make one wrong move and everyone will know. ”

“It's time, my Lady,” CC-8 called. “The door will open in 10 seconds.”

Satine turned to the door, smoothed her dress, and straightened, lifting her chin and looking confidently forward. The door swung open. She took one step, the other, and slowly stepped out into the centre of the crowd.

Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard that it was a miracle that it did not pop out and that her legs were steady enough to not give in under her when the buzz that all the guests made in her head rumbled in her ears.

She caught her sister staring at her and quickly turned her head as Satine made eye contact with her. A little farther on, she saw her uncle looking at her proudly, even though the smile wasn't on his face–he didn't have to smile, Satine  _ could feel  _ what Varus was feeling.

The Master of Ceremony began to speak, the words spoken by him in the language of her people. Satine recognized the words as being uttered at the coronation of her father, and previously of another ruler as the head of the New Mandalorians.

The oath, which was an altered version of  _ Mand'alor _ 's oath when he assumed power over the Clans. An oath that promised not to follow the bloody tradition of her people. The oath that changed slightly for each ruler to whom it was read, for, after all, each ruler was a separate being with different ambitions and visions on the future.

The Master turned to her. Only now did Satine look at his face and recognize him as the same man she had seen in the holovids of her father's coronation. Now grey and old, he carried out his work with unchanging dedication.

“We want you as our leader.” He said loudly, picking up an ornate dagger in one hand and a flat cream-coloured stone bearing the Clan Kryze crest in the other. “Spill your blood as to prove you will be devoted to Mandalore until the last drop of it flows from your veins.”

Satine picked up a dagger. She turned to the audience. She took a deep breath and slowly ran the dagger over the delicate skin, closing her lips tightly as she felt the pain of cutting through the pale skin, on which a red streak appeared, growing with each passing second.

The Master came up to her, pushing a stone towards her. Satine closed her hand, smearing blood on the top of it and holding back a hiss as she felt a stab of pain in the spreading wound. When she opened her hand after a couple of seconds, her porcelain skin was covered with a scarlet liquid.

Satine turned her hand and pressed it against the stone. 

When she took her hand back, the perfect, bloody reflection of her hand was on its surface.

Her own vow.

“ _ Vode _ !” The Master exclaimed, raising the stone with the reflection of her hands towards the gathered. “Here is your new ruler. Satine Kryze, Duchess of Mandalore!”

Satine took a deep breath as the traditional chant hit her ears. She looked at her uncle and Varus gave her a broad smile, so proud that Satine had to hold herself back to not do the same.

**x x x x x**

Tal Vizsla stopped his nephew as he passed into the ballroom, following Lady Bo-Katan Kryze.

“We need to talk.” He said quietly.

Pre nodded and led his uncle to one of the empty rooms near the hall where the Mandalorians were celebrating the coronation of their new ruler, their  _ Duchess.  _ “Something wrong,  _ ba'vodu _ ?”

“Pre, you have to provoke her.”

“Provoke?” Pre frowned at Tal in surprise. “But who?”

“The Duchess, of course.” Replied Tal as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It is very important.”

“I don't understand–” 

“You don't have to.” He interrupted sharply. “You have to provoke her. Upset her. She has to get emotional, distressed even. This is crucial.”

And without another word, he left the room quickly, completely ignoring his nephew who watched him not quite understanding.

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan headed for the front of the room where her family was. Maybe she didn't necessarily want to talk to Satine, but she would like a few words with her uncle or his children. 

She had approached a group of people just as her sister, with a passion Bo-Katan had only seen with her once, at dinner days before, was telling Varus and his wife, Ketha, about her vision of running the system.

“We must continue to develop the beskar industry.” She said firmly. “We have to support our art and architecture. We will manufacture ships and jetpacks. Peace will allow our planets to develop and regenerate damaged ecosystems, but we cannot allow any wars and conflicts because all hopes for the future will be lost.”

“And do you think,” Ketha began, taking a sip of her champagne from her glass. “That you can unite all the clans?” 

“I think I have a chance,  _ ba'vodu _ ,” Satine replied confidently, looking her aunt straight in the eye. “The good of our system is the most important to me and I believe that all Clans will notice that I want everyone to have the best life possible.”

Bo-Katan couldn't help it. She huffed under her breath, which quickly drew the attention of all three of them, who until now seemed not to be aware of her presence.

“Why,” Satine raised an eyebrow at her curiously. “Do you find something I said funny?”

“Oh, I do.” Bo-Katan looked at her sister, raising an eyebrow in the same way. “I am amused by your naivety.”

“Naivety?” Satine repeated, frowning. “Do elaborate, please.”

“Your naivety in believing that all Clans will accept you,” Bo-Katan replied calmly. “I already told you that most of them think you are weak. They will never accept someone like you on the throne. No fighting spirit, no respect for tradition, no…” She glanced at her sister's hand, which was wrapped in a delicate bandage. “Mandalorian blood.” 

Satine stared at her for a long moment, then glanced out of the corner of her eye at her uncle and his wife, who had so far not interfered with the conversation between the sisters.

“ _ Ba'vodu _ .” Satine began, looking at Varus. “What do you think about it?”

“I think you are sisters, the same blood flows in your veins, and you should end your pointless conflict as soon as possible.” As he said that, Varus looked sharply at the Bo-Katan. “Remember our conversation, Bo-Katan.”

Bo-Katan winced as she looked away from her uncle and shifted to look at the ornate floor beneath her feet. This part of their conversation from a few days ago was also unpleasant, especially when Varus started the subject of Satine, and Bo-Katan remembered all the tears that had fallen from her eyes at his words. “I can't stand and watch as the Duchess dig her own grave,  _ ba'vodu _ .” 

“What do you mean?” Satine looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes. “And don't call me that.”

“Don’t call you what? Duchess?” Bo-Katan snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why should I not use your title?”

“You are my sister,” Satine replied looking her straight in the eye. “We are family.”

“ _ Aliit ori'shya tal'din _ .” She said slowly and Satine winced at her words. “I wish you had remembered that when I sat for several hours at your door, begging you to let me in.” Bo-Katan hissed as her eyes shone with angry tears. “I see you only remember having a sister when you feel like it.” 

“That's not true,” Satine replied brusquely, hugging herself and losing her distant pose. “And you know it.”

“Do I?” Bo-Katan snarled, feeling the blood boil in her veins. “Maybe I would know if you wouldn’t mind talking to me sometimes, but I don't think I have a chance, because apparently, my sister is not even a living being, but some kind of droid...” She broke off, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Sorry, droids understand more than you do, and you're just a dead inside, insensitive statue who doesn't know what love or joy or happiness is because things made of stone don't know what emotions are.”

Satine looked as if Bo-Katan had just punched her in the face and Bo-Katan had admitted to herself that she felt like doing it sometimes, so she watched with satisfaction as the perfect neutral mask on her sister's face began to crack slowly. 

“And you know what?” She couldn’t help herself, as all of her hidden for years emotions began to take control of her. “I hope that once everyone in this system hates you, when your enemies are fed up with you and your cowardly pacifism, you will have at least a little honour to face death without fear and maybe in your last minute, you will prove that you are worthy.”

Bo-Katan turned on her heels, intending to leave, but someone gripped her hand tightly and she turned her head sharply, meeting immediately a pair of familiar blue eyes.

“Wait.” Satine's fingers tightened on her arm. “What did I do to deserve to be treated like this?”

“Should I explain it to you?” Their faces were closer to each other than ever before and Bo-Katan could easily read whatever appeared in her sister's eyes. “Where have you been all our life? What did you do when, as a little girl, I had nightmares, came to you and you didn't open the door for me? Where were you when _I_ _needed you_?”

“Everything I did,” Satine whispered hotly, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the crowd of people throwing curious glances at them. “I did to keep you safe.” 

“I’m tired of listening to your empty assurances.” Bo-Katan yanked her arm out of her sister's grip, still keeping their eye contact. “You're talking about my safety again. And what  _ you _ could possibly protect me from? You don't have a  _ beskar'gam _ , you can't use a blaster, you can't protect  _ yourself _ .”

“You don't know what you're talking about,” Satine replied earnestly, and for the first time, Bo-Katan saw the nervous expression on the blonde's face. “I'm not stupid, I can defend myself.” She said in a lower voice as if she was just confessing Bo-Katan her greatest secret. “But I care more about your safety.”

Bo-Katan was silent for a moment, but quickly took a deep breath and gave her sister a bitter look. “I am to believe you care about me?”

“Yes, because it's true.”

“Nothing that comes out of your mouth is real.” Bo-Katan hissed, pushing her away. “You're not real.” 

“Do not do this,” Satine begged her desperately, her cool posture disappearing entirely. “Please.”

“I'm doing exactly what you did twelve years ago!” Bo-Katan said louder. “I do not. Need. You!”

“Bo-Katan.” Satine looked at her pleadingly, wrapping her arms around herself tighter. “Bo, please–”

“–you have no right to call me that!” Bo-Katan ignored the fact that her sister began to tremble, turning pale even more and clutching her arms tighter. “You have no right to invoke our family when the death of our parents did not affect you in the slightest, and today, as if nothing had happened, you were crowned a new ruler!” Bo-Katan was shouting now, keeping everyone in the room focused on them. “Or maybe that's what you wanted, maybe our father's death was what you wanted!” 

**x x x x x**

Satine was breathing deeply now, squeezing her eyes and arms tight. Her mouth was trembling, tears welled up in her eyes, her head was roaring, and her fingers were tingling as if warning her of something.

She felt a dull pain in her chest caused by her sister's words, which hurt her as if the coronation dagger had been stabbed right into her stomach, not just cutting the skin of her palm. 

The bang in her ears grew louder. Satine heard muffled voices in the distance, someone touched her shoulder, but Bo-Katan's words kept ringing in her ears, squeezing her temples painfully and building her anger, her sadness, her fear.

_ I do not need you. I do not need you. I do not need– _

She heard a scream, and it took several long seconds for her to realize that it was her who was screaming, and the sound, so painful and coming from the bottom of her soul, bounced off the walls, followed by a crash.

The windows of the banquet hall began to crack and crumble, falling to the ground in thousands of tiny shards. 

The guests screamed as glasses on the tables broke one by one, and the metal cups contracted under the force of the pressure on them. 

Satine opened her eyes in time to see the guards running towards her.

“No!” In a panic, she stretched both hands forward and after a short while both guards fell to the floor a few meters away, thrown away from her by an invisible force. “No! Don’t–”

Satine looked around the room. The crowd looked at her silently, many faces frightened, angry or surprised, but Satine felt a great deal of their fear poisoning her thoughts and aggravating her migraine. “Please, just stay away from me!” She screamed in a frightened voice. “Stay away!”

“She's a  _ jetti _ !” A loud voice boomed and hundreds of heads turned to face it. Tal Vizsla stepped out of the crowd, staring straight at Satine with anger all over his face. Pre stood next to him, as horrified by her behaviour as the rest of the guests. Tal pointed at her, addressing the entire room. “She's one of them! She is dangerous!”

“No!” Satine screamed desperately, holding out her hands to reassure people, but at the gesture, everyone started to back away. “I don't want to hurt anyone!”

“She lied then, she is lying now!” Tal yelled back, taking a few steps towards her and turning to face the other people. “She lied to everyone, including her own sister! And someone like that wants to rule Mandalore!”

“No, please–”

“We can't let that happen!” Tal shouted louder. “It's against our traditions.  _ Jetti _ has no right to rule us. It would be an insult to the fallen, brave Mandalorians their Order had slaughtered!”

“I'm not a  _ jetti _ , no–”

“ _ Gar're dar'manda! _ ” He shouted, and Satine felt as if the heart in her chest had stopped beating. “ _ Gar cuyir nayc solus be mhi _ !” 

She couldn't catch her breath. She looked at her uncle, who looked as if he didn't know what to say, then at the equally shocked Ketha.

In the end, she caught in the sea of faces one so known to her.

_ Bo-Katan _ . Bo-Katan, who was staring at her, eyes wide open in fear.

Satine needed nothing else. When she noticed the other guards walking towards her, she pushed them away as well with the Force, and with little thought, ran out of the room, ignoring the screams of the people and that one familiar voice calling out “Satine!” after her.

She didn't know where she was going. She knew she had to get away. As far from here as possible before more people are hurt.

**x x x x x**

Pre stood in the middle of this chaos, staring in disbelief at the devastation Duchess Satine had caused just moments before. Chaos reigned in the hall as hundreds of voices began shouting over each other trying to understand the situation, and the palace guards thrashed around, not knowing what to do.

It was then that a strong hand tightened on his shoulder, and Pre was soon led through the crowd toward the door and the main corridor.

“You haven't even worked hard,” Tal growled in his ear in amused, gruff voice, departed from the hall door. “Your woman did it for you.” 

“I…” Pre began, not really knowing how to finish, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “What was that?”

“That little show?” Tal asked, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. “It was the real face of our lovely Duchess.”

“Real face?” Pre looked at his uncle, feeling completely confused. “She's really a  _ jetii _ ?”

“Not completely.” Tal looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. “If she were a  _ jetti  _ she wouldn't have grown up with her family, Pre. They would have taken her to their temple on Coruscant.”

“Then why didn't they take her?”

“According to what her father wrote in his journal, she was not found by  _ them _ of the correct age. She was too old.” Tal looked at his nephew intently. “I don't know what she was too old for, but I do know that when her skills were revealed and the Duke contacted  _ them _ , he was told that his daughter was unfit for training, so she stayed here. But she has their abilities, she can use their  _ magic _ .”

Pre nodded, absorbing all the information his uncle had given him. He didn't know yet what to do with all this knowledge, but he sensed that his uncle had some plans that he didn't want to talk about yet. The younger Vizsla, however, was devoured from within, so he dared to speak up.

“ _ Ba'vodu _ .” He began, and Tal turned his head with a grunt, focusing his attention on him. “What does all this mean to us?”

“I’m surprised you haven't figured it out yet.” Tal huffed, then his lips curved into a predatory smile. “It means the Duchess must die and then the throne will return to the True Mandalorians.” He patted his nephew on the back, smiling almost happily. “It will return to the Clan Vizsla.” 

**x x x x x**

Bo-Katan had no idea how much time had passed because it all fell together for her endlessly, and she probably wouldn't have even noticed that she wasn't in the banquet hall had it not been for her uncle's loud voice calling her name.

“ _ Bo'ika _ .” He said, taking her arm gently. “How do you feel?”

“Me?” Bo-Katan, a bit surprised by the question, looked inquiringly at her uncle, then at his wife and two cousins sitting on the couch nearby and talking quietly to each other. “Why do you ask?”

“You were so pale,” Ketha replied, then handed Bo-Katan a glass of water, which she immediately drank from. “For a moment we thought you were going to pass out.”

Bo-Katan shook her head, staring blankly at the cup. She didn't know what to think. There were so many questions in her head that she couldn't answer, that she could feel a headache slowly creeping up her temples. “Did you know?” she asked at last.

“No,” Varus replied immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. “Rivett never brought up this topic.” He added in a slightly sad voice. “When we tried to figure out why Satine suddenly changed, they dismissed us, saying that she had started growing up and her character was changing.” He rubbed his weary face with his hand. “We foolishly believed it. After all, Rivett was as silent as a grave, she wouldn't have spoken a word if she hadn't wanted to do it. But I never expected something like this…”

“Satine has always been a bit different,” Ketha interjected, glancing quickly at Varus, then at Bo-Katan. “Sometimes when I was looking after her, I would find items discarded from the shelves in the room where she slept, but I always excused it that maybe our tooka dropped them.” She added softly, raising her eyebrows and exhaling loudly. “But... a  _ jetti _ ?” 

“She's not a  _ jetti _ ,” Varus muttered. “She has their abilities, apparently, but I'm sure they didn't train her.” He rested a hand on one of his cheeks, looking each of his fifty-two years. “And I'm sure she studied on Coruscant, at the Academy. Not in the temple.”

There was silence for a moment, and only the distant whispers of the two people occupying the couch could be heard. 

“Why didn't they tell me?” Bo-Katan asked softly, frowning and clenching her fists. “Why have they lied to me all my life?”

Varus and Ketha exchanged glances, so Bo-Katan looked at them expectantly, until finally, Ketha spoke up. “Satine probably knows the exact cause.” She began carefully as if weighing the words. “But when you were little, just before Satine changed... Rivett told me something about the accident. She said you were hit in the head while you were playing and that you were in a coma for a few days before it was clear that nothing serious happened to you.” She looked at her sympathetically. “Maybe it had something to do with this incident?”

Bo-Katan raised her hand and reached into her hair. She found a long scar that marked the back of her head with her fingers and ran her fingertips over it. She looked at the adults in front of her with a shocked expression on her face.

“I didn't remember where I got this scar.” She said quietly, still stroking her skin. “ _ Buir _ said I was a tiny  _ adiik _ when it happened, but if it was then… then I was five and I should remember that.” She added and swallowed loudly. “And Satine said she wanted to protect me. It means that this scar was made by her.” She added, feeling her heart beating faster and faster in her chest. “Which means she felt guilty and that's why she distanced herself from me, and I... And that's how I treated her.”

Bo-Katan felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and after a while Ketha was embracing her tightly, resting her head on her shoulder and rocking her gently with her.

“You were cruel for her, Bo-Katan. And so unfair.” Varus said seriously from somewhere to the side. “But don't blame yourself for all of this. Each secret must come to the light sooner or later.” He added, stroking her hair with his hand. “The most important thing is that we find her. As soon as possible. She might not be safe outside the Palace.” 

**x x x x x**

Sundari had long since engulfed the darkness of the night as the black-cloaked figure slithered silently through the city streets. They glanced at their datapad, checked the address on it, then turned into an alley and after a few dozen paces stopped in front of a small house just outside the town square. 

They went to the door and rang the bell, then wrapped their coat more tightly around themself, staring at the floor, waiting for the door to open. In less than a minute they heard the humming of the sliding door, in which stood a tiny, sleepy blonde with a slightly irritated expression on her face.

“How can I help you?” she asked a little impatiently.

“Daska.” they began in the form of a greeting. “I need your help.” 

The figure raised their head and glanced at the blonde with pleading blue eyes that gleamed slightly in the shadow of the hood.

“Your Grace!”

Satine Kryze put a finger to her lips, silencing the blonde, and looked nervously from side to side before her gaze returned to the face of the palace seamstress. “Can I go in?”

“Of course, your–”

“–call me Tina, please.” Satine interrupted her nervously and walked through the door, then removed the hood from her head. “Satine's too much of a name, and I don't want to be found right now.”

“Of course, your–” Daska stopped and smiled nervously. “Tina.” 

“ _ Vor entye _ .” Satine breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you alone?”

“Yeah.” Daska nodded, indicating Satine that this followed behind her. “I haven't lived with my parents for a long time, so it's only me and my fish.” With a warm smile, she looked at the large aquarium separating the living room from the kitchen. “And they won't say a word.” 

Satine smiled slightly, grateful to Daska for the lack of unnecessary questions and the warm welcome. She sat down on the couch in the living room and unbuttoned her coat, revealing the dress she had worn at the coronation. Daska looked at her with raised eyebrows. “I didn't have time to change.” She explained quickly. “I took my cloak and one of the datapads from my room and fled the palace as fast as I could.”

“And what have you been doing all this time?”

“I went here and there.” She replied reluctantly, folding her hands in her lap. “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that I really need your help. I didn't know who to go to and I trust you. You've worked for my mother for so many years…” She broke off the mention of Rivett, looking at her joined hands. “She spoke well of you.”

“I am happy to hear that.” Daska bowed her head in a gesture of thanks. “So… How can I help you?”

“I need to disappear for a while,” Satine replied finally, looking Daska straight in the eye with desperation. “Please don't ask about it and don’t try to talk me out of it. I really need to disappear.” She added earnestly. “I need credits, a ship, and a few clothes to change. I know I ask a lot, but…”

Daska took a deep breath and grabbed a cup of water between her delicate, pale hands, and took a few sips before speaking in a quiet, soft voice.

“I will not question your decisions... Tina…” she began slowly. “Clothes won't be a problem. Here, in my studio, I have a lot of clothes tailored to your measurements. Duchess Rivett had a similar figure, so I can also remake some of her outfits. I can lend you some credits.” She began slowly, then bit her lip nervously. “Or I can get them from the palace vault.” Seeing Satine's surprised look, she continued with a smile. “Duchess Rivett has granted me access to her account so that I can take the money I needed to sew and deliver her clothes. It should still be active. I can get them for you.”

“Won’t it be suspicious?”

“I don’t think so,” replied Daska, taking a few sips of water. “This month I was preparing for your return, then for the coronation, and I haven't drawn any credits yet. If someone checks the bank statements, they'll think I have received the payment for my work.” 

“Well, that sounds... logical.” Satine nodded before asking softly. “And the ship?”

“I have my own little ship.” Daska began slowly. “However, I don't fly it often because of my health. I use it a few times a year to get to the Keldabe for fashion fairs. I can lend it to you, it won't be useful to me yet, but I'm not sure what its condition is now.” 

“Thank you so much, Daska.” Satine got up from the couch and walked over to the older woman, took her hands in hers and squeezed them in gratitude. “I owe you so much.”

“Nonsense,” Daska said with a grin. “I enjoy helping people.” 

Satine smiled back at her and straightened up as she walked over to the aquarium, where the light was no longer on and the fish weren't moving, sleeping. Satine saw her reflection and touched her braid with her fingers. “Daska?” she called softly.

“Yes?”

“Can you cut hair?”

**x x x x x**

Three days later, Daska stood in her private hangar at the Sundari Docks, Satine at her side, tucked in the slopes of her black coat and with a spacious travel bag over her shoulder.

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Yes,” Satine replied gently. “I may not fly very well, but I spent some time on Coruscant learning how to pilot a ship, and well, I have autopilot just in case.”

“Good,” Daska said. “Did you pack everything?”

“Yes, I have a few outfits for a change, I have shoes, basic cosmetics, credits and some food.” she counted on her fingers. “Ah, I also have a datapad, so expect my message if necessary, although I doubt I would write. And I have a blaster, though set only for stun,” she added quietly and then looked at the shorter woman. “Are they still looking for me?”

“Yes,” Daska said just as quietly. “They interrogated everyone in the Palace today. Your family spares no effort to find you.”

“And yet here I am, just a few steps from fleeing the planet.” Satine smiled slightly, tilting her head. “That's good. Sometimes a person doesn't want to be found.” She sighed and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “I have to go now, Daska.”

“Take care of yourself, Tina. Remember what to say when you’ll be questioned before landing.” Daska said in a slightly worried voice. “I hope everything will be fine soon.”

“Me too.” She replied, smiling slightly as she tucked the strand of hair that fell over her face behind her ear. “Thank you for your help, Daska. And for a new haircut.” She added, combing her fingers through her hair, now reaching her shoulders. “May the ancestors protect you.  _ Ret'urcye mhi _ .”

“ _ Vercopa _ .” Satine bowed her head and stepped aboard the ship with a small smile, only to be a point in the sky after a few minutes, shrinking with each second. “Come back safely,” Daska muttered under her breath. “My Lady.”

**x x x x x**

“You've been looking for her for a week and you still don't know where she is?!” Varus Beroya roared, slapping his hands on the tabletop. “She didn't dissolve into thin air!”

Bo-Katan winced slightly as she heard her uncle losing his patience, as he was treating guards with his perfect death stare. 

She almost felt sorry for them. 

“If any cameras caught her, they were destroyed.” Creel Rau, the head of the Palace Protectors, said, his voice calm as he was apparently used to dealing with nervous people. “We sent a patrol there immediately, but there was no trace of her anywhere.”

“This is the Duchess, how is it possible that no one recognized her?”

“Varus.” Creel began gently. “In my opinion, the Duchess should not be sought in the city, because I'm sure that if she escaped, she is not hiding in Sundari.” He continued in a matter-of-fact tone. “Maybe she flew to Keldabe or returned to Kalevala. Maybe she’s gone to some friends?”

“Satine was a recluse,” Bo-Katan interjected. “She's always been lonely, she probably doesn't have any friends, except in Coruscant, but it's too far…” 

“I can see that you have something on your mind,” Varus said a little softer, looking at the nieces with interest. “What are you thinking about?”

“I think I should be the one looking for her.” She replied honestly, looking at everyone in the room. “That night was my fault. I put pressure on her, I hurt her, and she was scared… She didn't want this to happen.” 

“And do you think she wants to see you now?” Ketha asked, and although her voice was sympathetic, Bo-Katan winced at her words. “In case Satine loses control again, the guards will be able to calm her down. They know how to deal with _ jetti _ .” 

“With stunners and slugthrowers?” Bo-Katan asked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is how you treat your ruler?”

“If she is dangerous…”

“No,  _ ba'vodu _ . That… sounds wrong.” Bo-Katan shook her head, waving her hand in the air. “Satine exploded because she was afraid. The sight of the guards armed to the teeth surrounding her would not make her feel safer. Then you don't know what she’d do.”

“So what do you suggest?” Ketha raised her eyebrows as they lean over the table towards her niece. “Should we wait some more?”

“We can't wait,” Varus interjected. “Our system needs stabilization, it needs the Duchess.”

“People lost confidence in her,” Ketha replied, looking at her husband. “They fear her and, like Tal Vizsla and his Clan, consider her a _ dar'manda _ .” 

Bo-Katan pursed her lips tightly when she heard about the Pre’s Clan, mostly because the same day Satine had disappeared, they had argued again and had not spoken since then.

She took a deep breath and regarded her aunt and uncle, then leaned back on the table as well and cleared her throat. “I don't care what people think about her.” She said sharply. “She's my sister, I'm worried about her and I want her back.”

“Okay, so let's just focus on how we get her back.” 

“We can't send guards or bounty hunters after her.”

“No guards and no bounty hunters? Then who?” Ketha looked at her suspiciously and exchanged a look across the table with Creel. “Who if not them?”

“We have to seek help from  _ jettise _ ,” Bo-Katan replied firmly. “Nobody will find Satine faster than another person with her  _ abilities _ .” 

“You want to ask  _ jettise  _ for help.” Creel Rau repeated, looking at her in disbelief. “You, the Mandalorian, want to ask them for  _ help _ .” 

“Do we have any other choice?” Bo-Katan raised her eyebrows defiantly. No one said a word. “I thought so.”

“Let it be that way.” Varus finally replied. “We'll contact them tomorrow morning.” He added and rubbed his hand over a little bearded cheek. “Go rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a dictionary:  
> jetti - Jedi  
> Aliit ori'shya tal'din - family is more than blood  
> Gar're dar'manda. Gar cuyir nayc solus be mhi. - You’re a traitor. You are no one of us.   
> adiik - child from 3-13  
> Retur'cye mhi - maybe we'll see each other again


End file.
